TODAY Newspaper 6.1.2015

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HOT NEWS 2
TuESday, 6 JaNuary 2015
MCI (P) 046/06/2014
Navy inds
what may
be AirAsia
planes tail
JudiciaryS guidiNg priNciplE iS TO SErVE THE pEOplE
Centralised college to give

judges more education, training
KUALA LUMPUR China developer Coun-
try Gardens Holdings can develop less

than 405ha, or only a quarter, of its
controversial 1,600ha Forest City
project in the Johor Straits, under
new limits set by Malaysias Department of Environment (DOE), a report
yesterday showed.
The Malaysian Insider has learnt
that the DOE has verbally informed
Country Garden Paciic View, a jointventure unit of Country Gardens
Holdings, of the new limits after complaints from locals and the Singapore
Government over reclamation work in
the narrow waterway between Malaysia and the island state.
The DOE has decided to limit the
project to the irst phase and wait for
a few years to see the impact before
looking at future phases, a source
told The Malaysian Insider.
The DOE is expected to send an
oicial letter about its decision soon
to relevant parties, he added.
Academy will be at Supreme

Court and cover induction,
training and development
AMANDA LEE
leeguiping@mediacorp.com.sg
A new college covering

the training of judges here and programmes for overseas judges will be
set up, announced Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon yesterday, as he noted
that eforts to push the boundaries of
work within the justice system will not
be possible without a strong judiciary.
The Singapore Judicial College
will bring all of the Republics judicial training which had been decentralised until now under its
auspices and develop and strengthen
the curricula.
Housed within the Supreme Court,
SINGAPORE
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
KL limits Forest
City project
after concerns
over its impact
Judges entering Parliament House after photo-taking during the opening of the legal year. PHOTO: WEE TECK HIAN
CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
today tuesday 6 January 2015
hot news
JAKARTA An Indonesian naval patrol
vessel has found what could be the tail

of the crashed AirAsia passenger jet
the section where the crucial blackbox voice and flight-data recorders
are located, oicials said yesterday.
News of the possible breakthrough
came as the Transport Ministry in Jakarta said some oicials on duty at the
time of the accident would be moved
to other roles. It also announced that
it was tightening rules on pre-light
procedures.
Ships and aircraft scouring the
northern Java Sea for debris and bodies from the Airbus A320-200 have
widened their search to allow for currents, eight days after light QZ8501
crashed en route from Indonesias second-biggest city of Surabaya to Singapore with 162 people on board.
We found what has a high probability of being the tail of the plane,
Mr Yayan Sofyan, captain of the patrol
vessel, told reporters.
He was speaking after his ship returned to the port in Surabaya yesterday and it was not immediately clear
whether he was referring to one of the
ive large objects pinpointed by search
vessels over the weekend.
Indonesias meteorological agency has said seasonal tropical storms
probably contributed to the Dec 28
crash and the weather has persistently hampered efforts to recover
bodies and ind the cockpit voice and
light-data recorders that should explain why the aircraft crashed into
the sea.
The recorders are housed in the
tail section of the Airbus, making retrieval of that part of the jet crucial.
I am not saying its the tail yet,
some officials on duty at time of crash to be moved to other roles
Navy finds what may

be AirAsia planes tail
the head of Indonesias search and rescue agency, Mr Fransiskus Bambang

Soelistyo, told a news conference in
Jakarta. That is suspected. Now, we
are trying to conirm it.
The Transport Ministry said some
oicials at the countrys airport opera-
tor and air traic control agency who

were involved with the AirAsia light
would be moved to other duties while
the accident investigation is completed. The ministry gave no reason.
According to a Wall Street Journal
report, Mr Djoko Murjatmodjo, act-
The crew of an
Indonesian naval
ship yesterday
with seats from the
crashed AirAsia jet
found during the
search. PHOTO: AP
Pilots angry with Indonesian minister for tick-off

JAKARTA Indonesian pilots have reacted angrily to the countrys Transport Minister Ignasius Jonan, who
last week ticked of a senior AirAsia
Indonesia executive during a visit to
the budget carriers oice to observe
pre-light procedures after the crash
of light QZ8501.
The Jakarta Globe said Mr Ignasius actions, such as reportedly chastising a director of AirAsia Indonesia
in a high pitch, angry tone, had seen
some pilots writing open letters reprimanding his conduct.
Describing the ministers statement as baseless, senior pilot Sardjono Jhony Tjitrokusumo said the
reprimand had come from someone
who did not have knowledge of the
aviation sector. Dont make things
up and say pilots are at fault if they
dont undergo brieing. It is not part of
the required procedures (before taking of), Mr Sardjono said in a statement to the press.
Indonesian news portal detik.com

earlier said Mr Ignasius was furious
with the carrier for allegedly not adhering to procedures and had warned
that stern action would be taken.
News portal tempo.com reported
that the minister was angry that the
airline had depended only on the nations Meteorology, Climatology, and
Geophysics agency (BMKG) for information on weather conditions and not
on a direct brieing from the light operations oicer (FOO).
When we have regulations, you
must comply with them; dont attempt
to violate them. I can revoke your licence, Mr Ignasius was quoted as
saying by Indonesian news portal
Kompas.com.
However, in his letter, Mr Sardjono said pilots commonly update themselves on weather conditions based on
the weather report by BMKG.
There is no such thing as pilots
being briefed before light. Pilots of
airlines around the world do selfbrieings. They get printed weather

information from systems used by
their (respective) airlines that information is provided before they ly.
Can you imagine if all pilots must
be briefed on weather conditions by
BMKG? he wrote.
Dont be ridiculous, especially for
those who have no knowledge of aviation, he was quoted as saying by the
Jakarta Globe.
Mr Ignasius was executive director
of state-owned train operator Kereta
Api Indonesia before President Joko
Widodo appointed him last October
as the republics Transport Minister.
Mr Sardjono also urged all parties
to stop making unnecessary statements until after the National Committee on Transportation Safety
(KNKT) completes its probe into what
caused light QZ8501 to crash.
Another pilot, Mr Fadjar Nugroho,
who wrote a letter addressed to
There is no
such thing as
pilots being
briefed before
light. Pilots
of airlines
around the
world do selfbrieings. They
get printed
weather
information
from systems
used by their
(respective)
airlines that
information
is provided
before they ly.
Mr Sardjono
Jhony
Tjitrokusumo
SENIOR PILOT
ing director-general of air transport,

revealed that the aviation authorities had used inaccurate information
to authorise the takeof slots for the
AirAsia light.
Mr Djoko told reporters yesterday
that the Transport Ministry issued a
directive on Dec 31 making it mandatory for pilots to be briefed in person
by an airline oicial on weather conditions and other operational issues
before every light.
Aviation experts said this is a
common practice in the industry, but
it was not immediately clear whether it has been normal procedure in
Indonesia.
The main focus of the search is
about 90 nautical miles of the coast
of Borneo island, where ive large objects believed to be parts of the plane
the largest about 18 meters (59 feet)
long have been located in shallow
waters by ships using sonar.
While experts say the shallow
sea should make the recovery fairly straightforward in good weather, strong winds and big waves have
frustrated the multinational force of
ships and divers that have converged
on the site.
The seas havent been very friendly, but the black boxes have a 30-day
life and they will be able to ind them,
said Mr Peter Marosszeky, a senior
aviation research fellow at the University of New South Wales in Sydney. Its the weather that is causing
the delay.
Thirty-seven bodies of the mostly
Indonesian passengers and crew have
been recovered, including some still
strapped in their seats.
AGENCIES
Mr Ignasius, said BMKG had allowed

pilots to access its constantly-updated weather information on its website,
and that the data is similar to information provided at brieings.
Since weather information for
lights became available on BMKGs
website, many of my colleagues fellow pilots and FOOs no longer need
to go to the brieing oice, he said.
Dont admonish us because we
get weather information from the
Internet; it is after all provided by
BMKG. As aviators, we appreciate
human lives ... our lives, as well as
those of passengers and our families,
he added.
But the Indonesian Transport Ministry has since enforced mandatory
pre-departure brieings by FOOs for
pilots, the Jakarta Post reported on
Sunday.
The Transport Minister has authorised the policy and it is now mandatory for pilots in any airline to do
so, the Jakarta Post reported Indonesian air transport oicial Djoko Murjatmodjo as saying. AGENCIES
hot news
The Forest City development in the Johor Straits, near Singapores Second Link,
involves creating an island almost three times the size of Ang Mo Kio. TODAY FILE PHOTO
KL limits Forest
City project
after concerns
over its impact
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
The Forest City development in the

Strait of Johor, near Singapores Se
cond Link, involves creating a 1,817ha
island almost three times the size of
Ang Mo Kio and the construction of
luxury homes. The project, which in
cludes a 49ha tourist hub and recrea
tional facilities, is expected to be com
pleted in 30 years time.
The ambitious project involves
massive land reclamation work. Sing
apore had previously expressed con
cern about the possible transbound
ary impact of the reclamation work
near its sea border.
Another source said Malaysian en
vironmental authorities made their
decision after Singapore presented
videos and documentary proof of
continued reclamation work for the
ChinaMalaysia jointventure project.
It is understood that the evidence
was presented at the last Malaysia
Singapore Joint Commission on Envi
ronment, which met last month.
Singapores Ministry of Foreign
Affairs did not issue a response to
TODAYs request for comment.
Analysts said it was difficult to
gauge how much interest the project
has generated among Singaporeans,
but that it was likely investors would
have already been cautious about the
megaproject because it was on re
claimed land.
At this point, I think the news
hasnt reached the majority of their
consumers, said Mr Sean Tan, gen
eral manager of iProperty Singapore.
And as a Singaporean investor,
obviously they would have to relook
how that would afect their investment
overall. I think Singaporeans being
Singaporean investors, they will have
a waitandsee attitude until the for
mal letters and legislation have been
put through.
The reclamation work had also af
fected Malaysias nearby key trans

shipment hub, the Port of Tanjung
Pelepas (PTP).
Last September, the Johor govern
ment said it wanted Country Garden
Paciicview, the developer of Forest
City, to comply with an Environmen
tal Impact Assessment study before
developing the project.
Johor Chief Minister Mohamed
Khaled Nordin had said it was im
portant to ensure issues such as the
environment were given full attention
and that regulations were adhered to.
A public dialogue on Forest Citys
Detailed Environmental Impact As
sessment turned chaotic on Sept 2
when the developer was confront
ed by locals affected by the project
who were unhappy about not being
consulted before its implementation,
which was seen as polluting the envi
ronment and jeopardising the areas
marine ecology.
The developers had reportedly
voluntarily stopped sea reclamation
to build the island, which was 30
per cent completed, on June 15 last
year, although there was no oicial
DOE notice.
The Forest City project, which has
gross development value (GDV) esti
mated at RM600 billion (S$225 billion)
on reclaimed land, is a joint venture
between KPRJ, a Johor state govern
ment owned subsidiary, and Country
Garden Holdings.
The China developer ventured into
Johor in 2012 when it acquired 22ha
of waterfront land in Danga Bay for
nearly RM1 billion. It launched Phase
One of the Danga Bay project in 2013,
when more than 1,500 units were
snapped up in three days.
It launched Phase Two of the Dan
ga Bay project last year, selling more
than 6,000 units to date. Danga Bay is
part of Malaysias ambitious Iskandar
Region corridor, a project to develop
the southern state as a special devel
opment and economic zone that would
attract foreign investors.
Country Gardens Holdings is Chi
nas seventhlargest property devel
oper with a market capitalisation of
HK$63 billion (S$10.8 billion) as of
Dec 31 last year. AGENCIES, WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY LAURA PHILOMIN
hot news
weak performance due mainly to sharp decline in new orders
Singapore factory activity contracts to 2-year low

ANGELA TENG
angelateng@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE The manufacturing sector ended 2014 on a weak note as factories turned in their worst performance in almost two years due mainly
to a sharp decline in new orders, in a
sign that erratic demand could continue to weigh on Singapores tradereliant economy this year.
The Purchasing Managers Index
(PMI) which measures the activity
and sentiment of manufacturers
contracted for the irst time in three
months to 49.6 last month from 51.8 in
November, data by the Singapore Institute of Purchasing and Materials
Management (SIPMM) showed. Last
months reading also fell short of the 51
forecast by a Bloomberg poll and was
the lowest since February 2013 (49.4).
A reading above 50 indicates expansion, while one below the benchmark line points to contraction.
The gloomy report comes hard on
the heels of data last week that showed
the Republics economy slowed more
than expected in the fourth quarter as
the manufacturing sector contracted.
Economists expect overall manufacturing to remain fragile this year,
particularly in the first half. 2015
will be starting of on a soft note and
the year-on-year contraction in the
We anticipate
the overall
PMI to hover
around 50-51
on average
over the next
six months.
However, we
do expect a
pronounced
improvement
in the second
half of 2015 on
the condition
that there are
improvements
seen from the
eurozone, the
United States
and China.
Mr Irvin Seah
DBS ECONOMIST
fourth quarter of 2014 may well drag

into irst quarter of this year given the
high base last year, said Ms Selena
Ling, head of treasury research and
strategy at OCBC Bank.
Last months bleak PMI is in line
with similar sluggish activity within
Asias factories, as manufacturers in
China, Australia, Taiwan and Indonesia struggled with weak demand, both
at home and abroad.
In Singapore, the manufacturing
sector was hit hardest by a irst-time
contraction in new orders and a slower
growth in new export orders, the SIPMM said. Across the sub-indices, production output, imports, input prices
and employment all reverted to contraction.
The sharp plunge in the orders
index (down by 3.7 points) was the
biggest decline since the 2008 to
2009 recession, exceeded only by the
5.2 points plunge in September 2009,
said CIMB economist Song Seng Wun.
He also noted that backlog orders
were at their lowest in one year, while
the inventory reading was at its lowest
since November 2011.
While customers could be cautious about demand in the coming
months, they could also be watching
the rout in international energy prices (Hence they) are delaying bookings and depleting inventories in an-
ticipation that raw-material costs will

follow suit, especially for those in the
chemical manufacturing industries,
Mr Song said.
On a more positive note, the key
electronics cluster remained in expansionary territory for the 23rd consecutive month, although it slipped
marginally by 0.1 point from Novem-
bers 50.6 points. The Christmas seasonal efect, which contributed to the
orders, dissipated in November and
subsequently also in December, explained DBS economist Irvin Seah,
adding that he expects the electronics sector to post a marginal rise this
month due to preparations for the Chinese New Year in February.
Singapore Armed Forces Lieutenant-Colonel Fan Mun Poh, mission commander of

the water puriication team, meeting Malaysian Defence Minister Hishammuddin
Hussein (right) yesterday at Kuala Krai, one of the villages affected by the loods.
Najib down with E-coli infection

after visiting flood-stricken areas
KUALA LUMPUR A tour of duty in areas
afected by Malaysias worst loods in

decades has left Prime Minister Najib Razak ighting an Escherichia coli
(E.coli) infection, believed to be food
poisoning, as the country continues
to reel from the aftermath of the disaster now estimated to have caused
billions of ringgit in damage.
A tweet from the Prime Ministers Oice said: Prime Minister @
NajibRazak was infected by E.coli
during his visit to lood-afected areas. Doctors have advised him to
rest. He will return to his duties as
soon as possible.
Mr Najibs own Twitter posting
said he would be monitoring events
from home.
E.coli is a bacteria widely found in
the human intestine. Certain strains
can cause mild-to-severe food poisoning symptoms. Infection can
happen when water or food contaminated by human or animal faeces is
consumed. Most types of E. coli are
harmless but some can cause diarrhoea. In its worst type, it can cause
kidney failure and even death, with
children the most vulnerable.
Mr Najib had just returned from
Bangkok where he met Thai Prime
Minister Prayuth Chanocha on Saturday to thank him for Thailands
contributions during the loods.
The Prime Minister came under
ire when he was on holiday in Hawaii
as loodwaters were rising on Dec 27.
He cut short the trip following wide-
spread criticism on social media over

pictures of him playing golf with United States President Barack Obama.
Immediately after his return,
Mr Najib made several trip to areas devastated by the loods, including Kelantan, Terengganu, Pahang
and Perak, to lead the national lood
response. He ordered all ministers
on holiday to return immediately to
deal with the crisis. This decision
was made so that they could work to
assist in the lood rescue and relief
operations, said Mr Najib.
Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin said the government
would also have to face the daunting task of tackling the after-efects
of the lood, which he described as
maha hebat or very great.
I believe that the damage will cost
billions of ringgit. It is diicult for us
to calculate, Mr Muhyiddin said
during an event yesterday to lag of
the Prime Ministers Departments
lood volunteers convoy. This igure
has been revised upwards. Earlier,
the east coast state flood disaster
committee estimated losses of about
RM200 million (S$75.5 million).
As at 12pm yesterday, the number
of lood evacuees dropped to 45,033
in Kelantan, Pahang, Perak and Johor
after surging to above 200,000 last
week. Fourteen lood-related deaths
were recorded in Kelantan, four in
Pahang and three in Terengganu to
date, data from the National Security
Council website showed. AGENCIES
hot news
they will work on part-time basis, help train new Judges
Ex-Chief Justice Chan among

five senior judges appointed
amanda Lee
SINGAPORE Slightly
more than two

years after he retired as top judge,
Mr Chan Sek Keong has returned to
the Bench as a senior judge a new
judicial position opened up by changes
to the Constitution passed last year.
With his appointment yesterday,
along with four others, the former Chief
Justice, who served on the Bench for
12 years, will hear cases on an ad-hoc
four lawyers were

appointed senior
counsels yesterday,
bringing the tally to
59. they are
mr edwin tong,
ms mavis Chionh,
mr tan Chuan thye
and mr Lee Kim
Shin, following the
latters completion
of his term as judicial
commissioner.
basis in the Court of Appeal and the

newly-established Singapore International Commercial Court (SICC).
The other four senior judges, all retired High Court judges, are Justices Kan Ting Chiu, Lai Siu Chiu, Tan
Lee Meng and Andrew Ang. They will
work on a part-time basis and will
hear most urgent matters as well as
shorter non-docketed matters, said
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon yesterday, in his speech at the opening
of the legal year. They will also help
11 SWORN IN AS COMMERCIAL COURTS FIRST INTERNATIONAL JUDGES

eleven current and former judges,
hailing from seven countries, will
form the irst batch of international
judges at the Singapore
international Commercial Court
(SiCC), which was oficially
opened yesterday.
they were sworn in yesterday at
the istana and will serve a term of
three years, said a statement from
the prime ministers ofice.
the idea of setting up the
SiCC, which is expected to hear
cases from the end of this month,
was mooted by Chief Justice
(CJ) Sundaresh menon in 2013.
Cases must be international and
commercial in nature and will be
heard by one or three judges, who
will be from the current Bench,

senior judges or international
judges.
the group of international
judges unveiled yesterday,
described as eminent jurists of
the highest calibre by CJ menon,
come from australia, austria,
france, Hong Kong, Japan, the
united Kingdom, and the united
States.
the aim of setting up a world
court for commercial disputes is
to tap on the explosive growth
in commercial activity in asia,
CJ menon said.
the SiCC would also enhance
Singapores contribution as a centre
for resolving commercial disputes
by developing an entire suite of

options, he added.
the remarkable success
of the Singapore international
arbitration Centre in recent years
can be seen as a harbinger of what
could be possible if we established
similar world-class facilities for the
resolution of such disputes through
mediation as well as by litigation,
letting users choose which among
these options best suited them,
said CJ menon, in his speech at the
opening of the legal year yesterday.
at the same time, it will grow
our legal services sector and
might even expand the scope for
internationalising Singapore law.
AMANDA LEE
with the training and mentoring of

new judges and the judges of the State
Courts, he added.
These appointments were among
a raft of appointments to the judiciary announced yesterday, including
the inaugural batch of international
judges for the SICC and two new judicial commissioners Mr Chua Lee
Ming, 55; and Mr Foo Chee Hock, 54.
Mr Chua, who will be appointed on
Feb 1 for a term of two years, has served
in the Legal Service, on the Bench and
was the general counsel of GIC.
Mr Foo, who is the current registrar of the Supreme Court, will step
up to the Bench on April 1 for a term
of three years and concurrently over-
see the development of a new college

for the training of judges. Mr Vincent
Hoong Seng Lei, the current chief executive of the Singapore Land Authority, will take over as registrar.
With the appointments yesterday,
the Supreme Court will have a total of
14 judges (including the Chief Justice),
nine judicial commissioners, ive senior judges and 11 international judges.
Responding to the first appointments of senior judges, lawyer Nagaraja S Maniam, who has 17 years
standing, said the legal fraternity and
judiciary will beneit from their guidance and judgments. They will be
able to guide and steer us to greater
heights, he added.
Centralised college to give

judges more education, training
Continued from page 1
it will cover induction as well as continuing the training and development

of Singapores judges. Until now, each
court has been overseeing its own
training programmes.
Our judges have been at the core
of our legal development and they
must continue to lead this effort in
changing times, said CJ Menon at
the opening of the legal year yesterday. It is, therefore, imperative not
only that the right people are appointed but also that they are provided
with ample opportunities for continuing education and development.
Reflecting on the development
of Singapores legal sector over the
past 50 years, CJ Menon said that
going forward, the judiciarys irst
and paramount guiding principle is
to serve the people a point also alluded to by Attorney-General V K Rajah and Law Society president Thio
Shen Yi.
For most Singaporeans, legal
issues concern intensely important
and personal matters regardless
of whether they also concern large
amounts of money. Liberty, family
distress and trauma and the accessibility of our justice system are what
viscerally concern our citizens, CJ
Menon said. We must, therefore,
continue to design our legal frameworks and our processes with these
imperatives in mind.
To that end, while steps have been
taken to improve access to justice in
criminal cases, the management of
litigation costs in civil cases is next on
the agenda. For a start, cost scheduling, where parties are required to
furnish their cost estimates before
the outcome in a case, has been introduced in the Supreme Court.
A Civil Justice Commission has also been set up. Chaired by Justice Tay
Yong Kwang, it will examine issues
such as how to simplify court rules,
eliminate time-consuming and costwasting processes and allow for more
judicial control of the litigation process to ensure proportionate conduct.
Meanwhile, with regard to access
to criminal justice, the State Courts
will explore two more avenues to
complement measures already in
the works. These include enhancing

case management, minimising pretrial delay and providing legal assistance for accused litigants in person
before the matter reaches the court.
On the international front, CJ Menon said the Singapore International
Commercial Court launched yesterday builds on Singapores success as an arbitration hub, and will
help grow the legal services sector
here, and even expand the scope for
internationalising Singapore law.
He noted that diversity among legal systems, especially in Asia, can
hold back transnational commerce.
A committee under the Singapore
Academy of Law has been established to look into promoting transnational convergence of commercial laws in Asia. An international
conference and the establishment
of a permanent institute to support
these eforts are also in the works.
As such, the Singapore Judicial
College is timely, with judges now
facing a diferent operating climate.
The college will guided by a Board
of Governors consisting of judges
and academics chaired by Justice
Andrew Phang, with Justice Quentin Loh as deputy chair. Apart from
training, the college will also serve as
a judicial research laboratory to test
new or existing practices. The college has invited the two law schools
here to submit research proposals.
Making his maiden speech as
Attorney-General, Justice V K Rajah said no one is above the law here
and the legal system is increasingly
moving towards an individuals experience of justice, within the wider
framework of public interest.
While the public appreciates the
state of rule of law in Singapore and
has conidence in the Attorney-Generals Chambers (AGC) in upholding
it, more can be done, he said.
Among the changes is the setting up of the AGC Academy to raise
standards and improve situational
awareness. An AGC spokesperson
said training pedagogies include practical workshops and oicers are sent
for attachments with local and foreign
law irms, as well as with the AGCs
counterparts in other jurisdictions.
10
hot news
Move will help criminal

lawyers not lose out in
expansion of Criminal
Legal Aid Scheme this year
AMANDA LEE
greater access to
justice is being provided for, the expansion of the Criminal Legal Aid
Scheme (CLAS) this year must be
properly structured, so it does not
cannibalise the fee-paying work of
criminal lawyers, said Law Society
president Thio Shen Yi.
The enhancements to the scheme
which is expected to beneit up to 6,000
accused persons annually or half of the
total number of cases each year will
allow the society to scale up their delivery of criminal legal aid, said Mr Thio at
the opening of the legal year yesterday.
However, we must structure and
means-test CLAS, so it doesnt cannibalise fee-paying work of criminal
lawyers, he said. Our target end-users are people who, but for our help,
will face the criminal justice system,
unrepresented, unadvised and alone.
CLAS is run by the Law Societys
Pro Bono Services Oice and various
Community Legal Clinics. If the enhanced scheme reaches the targeted
number of persons assisted within ive
years, it will mean a 15-fold jump in the
current workload. Last year, the Law
Society said honorariums, also known
as a nominal allowance, and training
schemes will be provided to get more
volunteer lawyers to join the scheme.
Criminal lawyer Josephus Tan felt
that concerns that the scheme could
cannibalise the fee-paying work is an
undue worry. People who even qualify for this scheme, they are actually
If scheme reaches target, It wIll mean 15-fold Jump In current workload
Legal aid scheme must be properly

structured to prevent cannibalisation
SINGAPORE While
marginalised, the underprivileged in

our society, who couldnt ordinarily afford the so-called private lawyers to
begin with, he said.
Other initiatives by the society that
will have a direct impact on the man
in the street include looking at making pamphlets informing laypeople of
their basic legal rights available at police stations and courts; quicker access
to counsel for accused people; as well
as video-taping police interviews. The
Government had previously rejected
the last suggestion. In 2008, then Sen-
Portraits of past
and present chief
justices. The Law
Society has worked
with the Law
Ministry to change
the law so that
lawyers who
are subjects of
complaints must
be given a copy
of the complaint.
PHOTO: WEE TECK HIAN
ior Minister of State (Law and Home

Afairs) Ho Peng Kee said videotaping
is not a foolproof solution; one could, for
example, allege a threat was made before the camera was switched on.
Yesterday, Mr Thio said video-taping police interviews has the potential
to deliver a win-win result: Protection
for the accused, the investigating oicers and the integrity of the evidence.
In this case, both eiciency and justice are the winners.
On disciplinary matters, Mr Thio
who noted that the number of com-
plaints has not increased despite the

rise in society membership said the
group is looking at enhancing its complaints process. It has worked with the
Ministry of Law to change the law so
that from this year, lawyers who are
subjects of complaints must be given a
copy of the complaint. Previously, lawyers would be told of the complaint,
but could not obtain a copy.
This may help lawyers explain
themselves before an Inquiry Committee (IC) is empanelled and may result in fewer referrals, Mr Thio said.
11
12
today tueSday 6 January 2015
comment
analysis
The year 2015 will

be a turning point
in the efort to create a
global inancial system that
contributes to climate safety
rather than climate ruin.
Jeffrey SachS 14
competition haS gone beyond baSic functionS of airport aS tranSport exchange
Changi Airport must develop

into a destination in itself
DAVID LEO
ny true champion will admit

that staying No 1 is more challenging than climbing to the top.
Thus, Changi Airport, which has been
voted many times the worlds best airport in several surveys, is not resting
on its laurels; it continues to raise the
bar with its upgrading plans for Project Jewel.
But why spend S$1.7 billion on an
expansion that will feature a bio-dome
complex housing an indoor waterfall,

a lush garden and many more shops?
Obviously, it is more than to only create additional space to cater for the
growing traic. To quote Transport
Minister Lui Tuck Yew: We are operating in a dynamic and increasinglycompetitive environment. Passengers
today are spoilt for choice as air hubs
around the world actively pursue new
ways to boost their appeal as destinations and transit points.
While Project Jewel will make
Changi Airport a world showcase, the
nub of the issue is competition. The rivalry goes beyond regional airports
such as Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA), Kuala Lumpur International Airport and Bangkoks Suvarnabhumi. In recent times, Dubai
International has emerged as Changis
closest hub rival for international
traic. Last year, Qantas moved its hub
for European traic on the Kangaroo
Route, which connects Australia to
Europe, from Changi to Dubai. While
some analysts considered that to be reducing the competition for Singapore
Airlines (SIA), it was not good news for
the Republics airport.
Dubais success demonstrates how
geographical advantage that has fa-
David Leo is an
aviation veteran and
published author.
voured Changi cannot be taken for

granted. In the early jet era, Middle
East airports such as those in Bahrain and Abu Dhabi were important
transit stops for traffic between the
Asia-Paciic and Europe. But with improved technology for the long range,
these airports could be bypassed, while
Changi with its cutting-edge technology, impressive facilities and excellent
customer service continued to grow.
However, Dubai today has managed to
reverse the misfortune that befell Middle East airports, emulating Changi in
becoming a hub airport.
Clearly, geographical advantage
can shift. Any of a number of neighbouring airports could be an alternative to Changi. Qantas had considered
Bangkok as a hub. HKIA is positioning
itself as a gateway to not only the huge
China market, but also the rest of Asia.
With more airlines mounting direct services between destinations,
it is imperative that Changi continues
to push the boundaries of the airport
city concept to enhance its hub sta-
13
comment analysis
today tueSday 6 January 2015
of connections to Europe, the Middle

East and Africa. As Emirates grows,
so does Dubai.
Architect Safdies wish to make
Changi a must-see icon raises the
question as to whether the airport as
a destination in itself is sufficient to
draw transit and transfer passengers
to purposefully pass through it. That
may be a secondary consideration in a
travellers choice of itinerary.
However, Changis edge over Dubai is boosted by Singapore as a stopover destination and convenient hop
tus. The concept takes the design of

the airport beyond its traditional role
to include non-aeronautical facilities
and services.
DESTINATION ON ITS OWN?
If imitation is the sincerest form of

flattery, Changi and Dubai can give
each other a pat on the back. Besides a
vast variety of shops and restaurants,
they boast facilities that are not commonly found at other airports, such as
a swimming pool and cinema. Dubai
has its Zen Gardens, and Changi lush
tropical foliage. Both aim to make their
airport not only the preferred choice
for transfer and transit traic, but also
a destination in itself. As Project Jewel
architect Moshe Safdie said: You must
ly to Singapore because youve got to
see that Jewel.
But more than just a pretty physical landscape is needed to build an outstanding airport. Changi has been consistently ranked in the top three of the
annual Skytraxs World Best Airport
survey. Dubai did not even make it to
the top 10 in the past ive surveys, but
came in eighth last year in the category of airports serving at least 50 million passengers. However, Dubai has
been growing in importance as a hub
airport, surpassing the traic carried
by Changi to become the worlds busiest airport today for international passenger traic. Dubai handled 68.9 million passengers last year compared
with London Heathrows 67.8 million.
Changis throughput was 53.2 million.
More airlines are flying through
Dubai not only because of its strategic
location, but also advanced infrastructure, a wide choice of connections and
lower costs. Dubai allows free parking
for up to three hours for a widebody
aircraft. Other charges, such as for
landing and aerobridge use, are also
lower than Changis. Passengers pay a
lower fee, too.
Like Changi, Dubai adopts an Open
Skies policy. The paradox of competition is that it propagates rather than
hampers growth. That, in turn, compels the airport to continually upgrade and expand to meet the growing demand. Home airlines play a key
role Emirates for Dubai, SIA for
Changi, Cathay Paciic for HKIA and
Asiana Airlines for Incheon. Qantas
choice of Dubai over Changi has to do
with a strategic alliance between the
Australian carrier and Emirates that
gives Qantas customers a wider choice
Why spend
S$1.7 billion on
the Project Jewel
expansion, which
will feature a
bio-dome complex
housing an indoor
waterfall, a lush
garden and many
more shops?
Obviously, it is
more than to only
create additional
space to cater for
the growing trafic.
Photo: Changi aiRPoRt
gRoUP, CaPitaMaLLS aSia
Dubai
International
Airport
has been
growing in
importance as
a hub airport,
surpassing the
traic carried
by Changi
to become
the worlds
busiest airport
today for
international
passenger
traic.
of point to neighbouring attractions

in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.
Dubai has realised the importance of
developing interest beyond the airport
by promoting the city as a lavish tourist playground. In this regard, Changi
has made a good decision in including a
dedicated lounge for ly-cruise and lycoach passengers in its Project Jewel
plans.
The competition has gone beyond
the basic functions of the airport as a
transport exchange. HKIA, latching on
to the potential of an extended market-
place, has set up a trading and logistics hub for precious metals as well as
constructed an Airport World Trade
Centre oice tower next to one of its
terminals.
Perhaps the next frontier is growing the airport into a modern agora,
where people meet for business or other purposes instead of merely passing
through it, fully realising the concept of
the airport as a destination in itself. In
this race, it is all about creating needs
and inluencing preferences where previously there were none.
14
comment analysis
urgent need for global savings to fund schemes that save the environment
2015 pivotal year in financing of climate safety

JEFFREY SACHS
he purpose of the global inancial system is to allocate the

worlds savings to their most
productive uses. When the system

works properly, these savings are
channelled into investments that raise
living standards; when it malfunctions, as in recent years, savings are
channelled into real-estate bubbles
and environmentally-harmful projects, including those that exacerbate
human-induced climate change.

The year 2015 will be a turning
point in the efort to create a global inancial system that contributes to climate safety rather than climate ruin.
In July, the worlds governments will
meet in Addis Ababa to hammer out
a new framework for global inance.
A worker at an
oil rig in Texas
last month. Both
Big Oil and Big
Finance have made
major mistakes
in recent years,
channelling funds
into sociallydestructive
investments.
This year, these
two powerful
industries, and the
world as a whole,
can start to put
things right.
PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
The meetings goal will be to facilitate a inancial system that supports

sustainable development, meaning
economic growth that is socially inclusive and environmentally sound.
Five months later, in Paris, the worlds
governments will sign a new global
agreement to control human-induced
climate change and channel funds towards climate-safe energy, building
on the progress achieved last month
in negotiations in Lima, Peru. There,
too, inance will loom large.
The basics are clear. Climate safety
requires that all countries shift their
energy systems away from coal, oil
and gas, towards wind, solar, geothermal and other low-carbon sources. We should also test the feasibility
of large-scale carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), which might enable the safe, long-term use of at least
some fossil fuels. Instead, the global inancial system has continued to pump
hundreds of billions of dollars per year
into exploring and developing new fossil-fuel reserves, while directing very
little towards CCS.
Many investments in new fossilfuel reserves will lose money lots
of it owing to the recent fall in world
oil prices. And many of the fossil-fuel
reserves that companies are currently
developing will eventually be stranded (left in the ground) as part of new
global climate policies. The simple fact
is that the world has far more fossilfuel resources than can be safely
burned, given the realities of humaninduced climate change.
Though market signals are not yet
very clear, last years more successful investors were those who sold their
fossil-fuel holdings, thus avoiding the
oil-price crash. Perhaps they were
just lucky, but their divestment decision makes long-term sense because
it correctly anticipates the future pol-
15
comment analysis
icy shift away from fossil fuels and towards low-carbon energy.
Several major pension funds and
foundations in the United States and
Europe have recently made the move.
They have wisely heeded the words of
the former chief executive of oil giant
BP, Mr John Browne, who recently
noted that climate change poses an
existential threat to the oil industry.
CARBON PRICING
More governments around the world

are now introducing carbon pricing
to relect the high social costs inherent in the continued use of fossil fuels.
Every tonne of carbon dioxide that is
emitted into the atmosphere by burning coal, oil or gas adds to long-term
global warming and, therefore, to the
long-term costs that society will incur
through droughts, loods, heat waves,
extreme storms and rising sea levels.
While these future costs cannot be
predicted with precision, recent estimates put the current social cost of
each added tonne of atmospheric CO2
at US$10 (S$13.30) to US$100, with
the US government using a middlerange estimate of about US$40 per
tonne to guide energy regulation.
Some countries, such as Norway
and Sweden, long ago introduced a
tax on CO2 emissions to relect a social cost of US$100 per tonne, or even
higher. Many private companies, including major oil irms, have also recently introduced an internal accounting cost of carbon emissions to guide
their decisions regarding fossil-fuel
investments. Doing so enables companies to anticipate the inancial consequences of future government regulations and taxation.
As more countries and companies
introduce carbon pricing, the internal accounting cost of carbon emissions will rise, investments in fossil
fuels will become less attractive and
investments in low-carbon energy systems will become more appealing. The
market signals of CO2 taxation (or the
cost of CO2 emission permits) will help
investors and money managers steer
clear of new fossil-fuel investments.
Carbon taxes also ofer governments
a crucial source of revenue for future
investment in low-carbon energy.
With international oil prices dropping by a whopping US$40 per
barrel since the summer this is an
ideal moment for governments to introduce carbon pricing. Rather than
let the consumer price of oil fall by
that amount, governments should put
a carbon tax in place.
Consumers would still come out
ahead as each barrel of oil emits
roughly 0.3 tonnes of CO2 , a carbon
tax of, say, US$40 per tonne of CO2
implies an oil tax of only US$12 per
barrel. And, because oil prices have
declined by more than triple the tax,
consumers would continue to pay
much less than they did only a few
months ago.
Moreover, new revenues from carbon taxes would be a boon for governments. High-income countries have
promised to help low-income countries
invest in climate safety, both in terms
Many
investments
in new fossilfuel reserves
will lose
money lots
of it owing
to the recent
fall in world
oil prices.
And many of
the fossil-fuel
reserves that
companies
are currently
developing
will eventually
be stranded
(let in the
ground) as
part of new
global climate
policies.
of low-carbon energy and resilience

against climate shocks. Specifically, they have promised US$100 billion in climate-related inancing per
year, starting in 2020, up from around
US$25 billion to US$30 billion this
year. New revenues from a CO2 tax
will provide an ideal way to honour
that pledge.
The math is simple. High-income
countries emitted around 18 billion
tonnes of CO2 last year roughly half
of all global emissions. If these countries earmarked just US$2 per tonne
of CO2 for global inancing organisations, such as the new Green Climate
Fund, and the regional development
banks, they would transfer around
US$36 billion per year. By using part
of that money to mobilise private-sector inancing, the full US$100 billion
of climate inancing could be reached.
Both Big Oil and Big Finance
have made major mistakes in recent
years, channelling funds into socially-destructive investments. This year,
these two powerful industries, and
the world as a whole, can start to put
things right. We have within our reach

the makings of a new global inancial
system that directs savings where
they are urgently needed: Sustainable development and climate safety,
for ourselves and for future generations. PROJECT SYNDICATE
Jeffrey Sachs is professor of Sustainable
Development, professor of Health
Policy and Management, and director
of the Earth Institute at Columbia
University. He is also special adviser
to the United Nations Secretary-General
on the Millennium Development Goals.
today tuesday 6 january 2015
16
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WE SET YOU THINKING

Editor
Walter Fernandez
dEpUtY Editor
Carl Skadian
ASSoCiAtE EditorS
loh Chee kong
JaSon tan
EXECUtiVE Editor
Phin Wong
diGitAL Editor
Mae lYnn tan
ViSUAL Editor
Mugilan raJaSegeran
VoiCES Editor
derriCk a Paulo
FEAtUrES Editor
ChriStoPher toh
SpECiAL proJECtS Editor
ariel taM
CorporAtE SErViCES roSalind Png
CirCULAtioN SunnY iSSaC
MArKEtiNG Caroline Joanne Bone
EditoriAL SUpport doreen SaBai
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Malaysia, Spore
should share info
on traffic fines
FROM sum sieW Kee
There have been police operations

recently in Johor Baru to catch Singaporeans who have unpaid traic
ines. The current procedure is not
sustainable for Malaysia and also
inconveniences Singaporeans.
One issue is Singaporeans do not
get a notice of ofence until they reenter Malaysia, which may be long
after it occurred. This may lead to
disputes; for example, if the car was
sold to someone else or is rented.
While both countries are not in a
position to integrate their legal systems, it would be good if they can
share data, including evidence of offences and details of vehicle ownership, with each other. At the least,
the Malaysian traic police could
notify the Land Transport Authority of ofences, and the latter can forward the notice to the drivers here.
While the former has no jurisdiction in Singapore, the driver would
be reminded that refusal to pay
the ine may result in a penalty at
the next re-entry. This would build
trust between the two countries and
reduce complications in the case of
second-hand or rental vehicles driven across the border.
Airlines responsibility to
get approval of schedules
FROM margaret tan
director (air transport),
Civil aviation authority of Singapore
We refer to the report Spotty coordination plaguing air safety: Asia-Pacific aviation chief (Jan 5).
It did not accurately relect our explanations of the approval for Indonesia AirAsias lights between Surabaya
and Singapore, as given in our media
release Indonesia AirAsia SurabayaSingapore Service, issued by the Civil
Aviation Authority of Singapore and
Changi Airport Group on Saturday.
It is the airlines responsibility to
separately obtain approval of their
light schedules from the respective
civil aviation authorities at each end
of the light routing and operate in a
manner that complies with both sets
of approval.
There is no need for coordination
There is no
need for
coordination
between
the two
authorities
in approving
the airlines
schedules.
This is
international
practice.
Shared values could serve

as core of Sporean identity
FROM cheong Wei Qi
A sense of national identity, which

is deined as a persons identity and
sense of belonging to ones state, plays
a crucial part in Singapores ongoing
nation-building endeavour.
However, a mid demog raphic
changes, some believe that the country faces an identity crisis. As a Singaporean, I am led to wonder what it
really means to have a Singaporean
identity. (Singapores biggest test:
Dilution of national identity; Dec 31)
In the same way that an individual
would feel somewhat incomplete and/
or inauthentic without a clear sense of
identity, Singapore is likely to be incomplete without a distinct national
identity. Confronted with such a dilemma, what is the way forward?
Given the top-down culture here, it
can conceivably be said that to become
Singaporean, one is required merely
to assimilate government-implemented measures.
Singapores current answer to the
problem is multiracialism, while developing the common space and creating shared experiences through
various avenues such as education,
national policies, the media and
commemoration.
These elaborate measures ensure
that nationalism and nationhood are intrinsic values woven into cultural and
communal discourse. They have been
LETTER
PERANAKAN
CONCEPT
OF FUSION
FOR SPORE
IDENTITY?
Scan the Qr code
using the reader app
on your smartphone,
or visit tdy.sg/
ltrperanakan6jan
for the letter from
June Cheah-nicholls.
between the two authorities in approving the airlines schedules. This is international practice.
Indonesia AirAsia had applied and
obtained approval from the Singapore
authority to operate daily lights between Surabaya and Singapore for the
Northern Winter Season, from Oct 26
to March 28, arriving at Changi Airport at 8.30am and departing from
Singapore at 2.10pm.
Within the limits of this approval,
at the Singapore end, Indonesia AirAsia could adjust its flight frequencies, for example, to ly to and from
Singapore only on certain days rather
than daily.
At the Indonesia end, Indonesia
AirAsia needed to seek approval from
the authority for the schedule it wanted to operate, and ensure that it operated the lights in accordance with the
approval given.
successful in creating a cohesive multiracial society, but have yet to create
a strong sense of rootedness.
It may take a little more time to
achieve the ultimate goal of creating
a Singaporean identity.
The Government could further
promote active civic and political
participation to inculcate a sense of
ownership, and slow down the pace of
change so we can have shared memories across generations, thus creating
a sense of familiarity and home.
At the same time, a multi-pronged
approach to issues of national identity, with bottom-up measures, will
be more helpful. Singaporeans can
then define their own identity for
themselves.
This issue need not be our Achilles
heel; there is hope for the future.
As a young nation of a diverse mix
of immigrants, it may be better to not
only look for traits of the Singaporean
society to deine a national identity,
but to also look at important values
we share and aspire towards.
While societal traits are susceptible to change, values have a greater
permanency and power to inspire and
rally people. Such a system of shared
values, serving as the essence of the
Singaporean identity, could include
meritocracy and multiracialism, comparable with what values such as freedom or the American Dream mean
to Americans.
Ultimately, it is perhaps most exciting that the Singapore identity comprises various characteristics and
continues to be constructed by us.
Make full use of

volunteering
potential here
FROM lee Wei Kang
I refer to the letter Decline in volunteerism calls for greater scrutiny

(Dec 29). Although the points about
declining volunteerism are worrying, dropping volunteerism rates
and rising donations as relected in
the Individual Giving Survey may
be a good opportunity to move towards monetary-based charity.
The inherent weakness of volunteerism is that the onus is on
voluntary welfare organisations
to convince Singaporeans to free
up their time. Many Singaporeans
have busy lives; few are able to volunteer regularly without sacriicing time for something else.
Even if a large part of the population wishes to volunteer, many
do not because of their jobs, family
time or other commitments. The
Individual Giving Survey shows
that the top reason for not volunteering is lack of time.
This means that a large part of
volunteering potential in Singapore is not activated. A proposal by
Swiss author Rolf Dobelli, among
others, can address this weakness.
When trying to secure volunteers, non-governmental organisations can introduce an option whereby potential volunteers choose to
work an extra hour or two and donate the income from that. The NGO
would then use the donation to hire
people whose occupation is in line
with the volunteer project and keep
the remainder in their cofers.
This utilises some of the wasted
volunteering potential. And where
the potential volunteer lacks expertise in the tasks required, the end
product of the project will be of better quality, with greater impact on
the beneiciaries.
The Government could co-fund
the additional costs borne by the
individuals employer from paying
these extra wages or give other
beneits. Large organisations could
also divert part of their budget for
charitable ventures to fund this.
This method, some may say, removes the base principle of altruism. But as long as our aim is to better the lives of others in the best way
possible, it should be considered.
Correction
the national environment agency has
clariied that its letter govts long-term
goal is to prohibit smoking in all public
areas (Jan 5), should have been signed
off by tony teo, its director of
environmental Public health operations.
17
18
singapore
national average of 36.43 points higher than global average of 29.94
Spore among best in IB

despite dip in performance
VALERIE KOH
valeriekohsf@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Singapore students continued to rank among the highest globally in the International Baccalaureate (IB) diploma examination last
year, despite a dip in the national average score to 36.43 points.
The average score in the Asia-Paciic region was 33.14 points, while the
global average was 29.94, out of a perfect score of 45.
In 2013, students here topped the
Asia-Paciic region in the examination
for a fourth consecutive year, scoring a
national average of 36.53 points.
When asked by TODAY, the International Baccalaureate Organisation
oice here declined to reveal Singapores ranking among the 22 countries
in the region last year. However, the
Cheong Su-Yen (left) from SJI Senior School and Kai

Sunderman of SOTA both scored 44 points in the IB exam.
PHOTOS: WEE TECK HIAN
Republic was ahead of Hong Kong and

nations such as Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea.
More than 2,000 students took the
examination in Singapore last year

and, of these, 66 topped their schools
with a perfect score of 45. Across the
country, 96.8 per cent earned a passing grade of 24 points or more.
Close to 450 students from AngloChinese School (Independent) took
the examination last year, with 34 of
them achieving a full score of 45 up
from last years 32. On average, the
students scored 41.3 points.
SJI Senior School, among the 21
institutions here that ofer the IB Diploma Programme, produced its pioneer cohort of IB diploma holders last
year. All of its 76 students who took
the examination passed, with an average score of 39.4 points.
Three students outshone their
peers with high scores of 44 points.
However, despite an outstanding performance, one of them 18-year-old
Cheong Su-Yen was disappointed
that she lost a point for history, a subject close to her heart. Still, she intends to study the subject at London
School of Economics.
Su-Yen, an only child whose father
is a lawyer and mother a lecturer, said
she chose the IB diploma programme
as it ofers continuous assessment.
Im quite a consistent worker, so

that appealed to me. (It takes) a bit of
the pressure of. Because you never
know what can happen on your exam
day like for my history paper, obviously, something wasnt quite right,
said the avid horse rider and member
of the national equestrian team.
At the School of the Arts (SOTA),
the third batch of IB diploma students
graduated with an average score
of 38.89.
Kai Sunderman, a theatre student, was surprised by his result
of 44 points, after losing a point for
Literature. I was not at all expecting
it, because Maths is my downfall,
he said.
Kai had transferred to SOTA from
Broadrick Secondary School at the
end of his irst year to explore theatre.
It was an unexpected move, which
came after he had been placed
against his will in the drama club
in the secondary school and fell in love
with the stage.
Prior to that, he had had no theatre
experience.
The 18-year-old, who is of German
and Chinese descent, plans to pursue
a liberal arts degree in America.
19
singapore
minutes, compared with ive to nine

minutes previously.
A nother feeder ser v ice, SMRT Service 920, which operates in
Bukit Panjang, now runs at nine- to
10-minute intervals during the morning peak period, compared with 14
to 16 minutes previously. As for the
evening peak period, it now runs at intervals of 10 minutes, compared with
16 minutes previously.
In addition, the LTA said public transport operators (PTOs) SBS
Under the bus enhancement scheme, 550 government-funded

buses have been added as at the end of last year. TODAY FILE PHOTO
Four new bus

routes for Choa
Chu Kang, Punggol
and Queenstown
JOY FANG
joyfangz@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Residents
living in Choa
Chu Kang, Punggol and Queenstown
will beneit from four new bus routes
by March, under the Land Transport
Authoritys (LTA) ongoing billion-dollar Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP).
Details of these new routes are being worked out and they will add to the
slew of new and extended routes that
the authorities have been rolling out
since the BSEP was launched in 2012.
Between October and December
last year, four new bus services were
introduced SBS Transit Services
41, 140, and 201, and SMRT Service
990. An existing service SBS Transit Service 35 was also extended.
This brings the total number of new
services under the scheme to 36.
As at the end of last year, 550
government-funded buses had been
added to the public bus industry,
more than half of the BSEPs target
of 1,000 buses by 2017, the LTA said
yesterday in its fourth-quarter update
report on the scheme.
During the fourth quarter of last
year, 38 additional buses were deployed for 34 bus services during the
morning and evening peak hours. In
all, 480 weekly peak-hour bus trips
were added during this period.
Citing examples of improvements,
the LTA pointed to SBS Transit Service 225, a feeder service that serves
Bedok residents.
It now runs at ive- to six-minute
intervals during the morning peak
period, an improvement from ive- to
nine -minute intervals previously. For
the evening peak period, the service
now runs at intervals of four to seven
Under the
BSEP, 95 per
cent of feeder
services are
required to
operate at
10-minute
intervals
during the
two-hour
morning and
evening peak
periods by
end-2014. This
will be further
tightened to
100 per cent
of feeder
services
operating at
not more than
eight-minute
intervals by
2017 when the
BSEP is fully
implemented.
Land Transport
Authority
Transit and SMRT have also improved 12 bus services in this quarter
by deploying higher-capacity buses or
adding more bus trips along sectors
that experience heavy ridership. The
two operators have added a total of
35 weekly trips for these services during peak hours.
With this additional capacity,
PTOs will be required to deliver higher
service standards. Prior to the BSEP,
operators were required to operate at
least 90 per cent of feeder bus services
at not more than 10-minute scheduled

intervals during the one-hour peak periods in the morning and evening.
Under the BSEP, 95 per cent of
feeder services are required to operate at 10-minute intervals during the
two-hour morning and evening peak
periods by end-2014. This will be further tightened to 100 per cent of feeder
services operating at not more than
eight-minute intervals by 2017 when
the BSEP is fully implemented, the
LTA said.
20
singapore
Teen gets probation, community service for running a brothel

YVONNE LIM
yvonnelimsy@mediacorp.com.sg
A 19-year-old Singaporean who was caught running a

brothel was yesterday sentenced to
18 months of probation and 120 hours
of community service.
Jaryl Tan Wencong was arrested
by Central Narcotics Bureau oicers
SINGAPORE
on July 8 last year during a drug bust

at a hotel in Geylang.
A not h e r S i n g ap or e a n m a n ,
22-year-old Cheng Wei Guang, was arrested with Tan. Six Thai passports
and a photocopy of another passport,
all belonging to Thai women, were
found on the two men.
A third man 21-year-old Francis
Tan Thuan Heng has also been ar-
rested for involvement with the syndicate and is currently awaiting trial.
Cheng faced 16 charges and was
sentenced to nine months in jail
last year.
Investigations revealed that the
women were working for a vice syndicate run by a person known only
as David, who would upload photographs of women to the Internet and
Court
documents
showed that
Jaryl and the
two men were
in charge of
running a
brothel out
of several
condominium
units at Mount
Elizabeth.
Their tasks
included
delivering
food,
condoms and
lubricants to
the women
and cleaning
the units.
secure clients, for whom the women

would provide sexual services.
Court documents showed that Jaryl and the two men were in charge of
running a brothel out of several condominium units at Mount Elizabeth.
Their tasks included delivering food,
condoms and lubricants to the women
and cleaning the units.
The three men also collected
the womens earnings at the end of
each day.
Jaryl also pleaded guilty to the
charge of receiving women who were
being used for prostitution.
On July 1 last year, Jaryl and
Cheng picked up Ms Sukana Yenjai,
a 30-year-old Thai national, from
Changi Airport and took her to the
Mount Elizabeth condominium.
Investigations showed that an unknown agent in Thailand had made
arrangements for Ms Yenjai to come
to Singapore to work as a prostitute.
During the hearing at the State
Courts yesterday, District Judge Lim
Keng Yeow considered nine other
charges against Jaryl, including living
on immoral earnings of the prostitutes.
Under the probation order, Jaryl,
who will be enlisted into the army on
March 6, has to remain indoors from
10pm to 6am when he is out of camp.
The judge also ordered his mother
to pay a bond of S$5,000 to ensure his
good behaviour.
21
singapore
17 and is an invite-only competition.

Mr Lim will be the irst Singaporean
to attempt completing the race, and
he will try to do so in under 60 hours
without any sleep. He is also expecting
bad weather conditions because of the
rainy season there now. This race will
be the longest he has attempted.
Last November, Mr Lim approached
Habitat for Humanity Singapore and
offered to help it raise S$150,000 to
build decent houses in poverty-stricken areas worldwide. The non-proit organisation has a project in Singapore
Besides other training, Mr Lim Nghee Huat spends six hours

running up to 80km on weekends. PHOTO: GENEIEVE TEO
He Hopes to raise s$150,000 for cHarity
61-year-old
to run 281km
ultramarathon
for a good cause
Grandfather of three will
be first Singaporean to
attempt invite-only Brazil race
EMILIA TAN
emiliatankn@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE He dedicates three of seven days each week to long-distance
running, spending two hours covering
up to 15km on weekdays and six hours
doing up to 80km on weekends at Upper Peirce Reservoir. And he does it
all out of passion for the sport.
A decade ago, 61-year-old ultramarathoner Lim Nghee Huat turned
his hobby into a good cause when he
participated in the 168km Run Round
Singapore Ultramarathon organised
by Nanyang Technological University.
It was the Singaporeans irst ultramarathon and charity run.
Since then, Mr Lim has not stopped
running for charity, participating in
gruelling races such as the 217km Brazil Ultramarathon, the 217km Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, in which
he raised S$150,000, and the 217km
Death Valley Challenge, in the United
States, where he raised S$250,000.
The editor of Chinese Current Affairs at local broadcaster MediaCorp
is a father of three and has three
grandchildren.
In preparation for his next race
a 281km ultramarathon in Brazil to
raise funds for Habitat for Humanity
Singapore Mr Lim has been lifting
weights, doing sit-ups and pulling rubber tyres while he runs to increase his
endurance.
The 2015 Brazil 135+ Ultramarathon
will be held in Sao Paolo from Jan 14 to
I remind
myself that
the discomfort
and pain
are only
temporary,
just like
the setbacks
in life.
Mr Lim
Nghee Huat
EDITOR OF CHINESE
CURRENT AFFAIRS
AT MEDIACORP AND
ULTRAMARATHONER
called Project HomeWorks, which engages volunteers to clean and improve

the living conditions of elderly and
handicapped people who live alone in
cluttered and unhygienic homes.
Mr Lim said his love for running
started when he was a student. Over
the years, he began to take up longdistance running and experimented
with triathlons before eventually running in ultramarathons.
Some people call me crazy for
running such long distances and others have advised me to stop running,
as they think that itll be harmful to

my body. But I get inspired by overseas runners I meet during my ultramarathons. I see runners older, yet itter than me and they look so young; it
makes me want to continue running to
keep it and stay healthy to prevent unnecessary visits to the doctor, he said.
Through the runs, I get to meet a
lot of diferent people and learn to (increase) my perseverance in overcoming diiculties. I remind myself that
the discomfort and pain are only temporary, just like the setbacks in life.
22
china&india
IdeologIcal vIgIlantes play pIvotal role In downfall of those deemed dIsloyal to communIst party orthodoxy
Chinas Maoists are revived as thought police

Maoist ideologues resurgent
again, buoyed by President
Xi Jinpings traditionalist tilt
HONG KONG They pounce on bloggers
who dare mock their beloved Chairman Mao. They scour the nations
classrooms and newspapers for strains
of Western-inspired liberal heresies.
And they have taken down professors,
journalists and others deemed disloyal
to Communist Party orthodoxy.
Chinas Maoist ideologues are resurgent after languishing in the political desert, buoyed by President Xi
Jinpings traditionalist tilt and emboldened by internal party decrees
that have declared open season on
Chinese academics, artists and party
cadres seen as insuiciently red.
Ideological vigilantes have played a
pivotal role in the downfall of Mr Wang
Congsheng, a law professor in Beijing
who was detained and then suspended from teaching after posting online
criticisms of the party. Another tar-
Journalism professor Qiao Mu was demoted for espousing free

speech and multi-party elections. He has been barred from the
classroom and his salary slashed by a third. PHOTO: THE NEW YORK TIMES
get was Mr Wang Yaofeng, a newspaper columnist who voiced support for
the recent pro-democracy protests
in Hong Kong and then found himself
without a job.
Since Mr Xi came to power, the
pressure and control over freethinkers has become really tight, said
Mr Qiao Mu, a Beijing journalism professor who was demoted this fall, in
part for publicly espousing multiparty
elections and free speech.
More and more of my friends and
colleagues are experiencing fear and
harassment.
Two years into a sweeping ofensive against dissent, Mr Xi has been
intensifying his focus on perceived
ideological opponents, sending ripples
through universities, publishing houses and the news media and emboldening hard-liners who have hailed him
as a worthy successor to Mao Zedong.
In instructions published last week,
Mr Xi urged universities to enhance
guidance over thinking and keep a
tight grip on leading ideological work
in higher education, the oicial Xinhua
news agency reported.
The latter-day Maoists, whose inluence had faltered before Mr Xi came
to power, have also been encouraged
by another internal document, Document No 30, which reinforces warnings that Western-inspired notions of
media independence, universal values and criticism of Mao threaten the
partys survival.
Its a golden period to be a leftist in
China, Mr Zhang Hongliang, a prominent neo-Maoist, said in an interview.
Chinas old guard leftists are a
loose network of oicials and former
oicials, sons and daughters of party
veterans, and ardently anti-Western
academics and journalists. They look
back to the precepts of Marx, Lenin
and especially Mao to try to reverse
the efects of Chinas free-market policies and the spread of values anathema to party tradition. And while their
direct inluence on the party leadership has been circumscribed, they
have served as the partys eager ideological inquisitors.
Mr Xis recent orders and the accompanying surge of pressure on political foes further dispelled initial suspicions that his ideological hardening was
a feint to establish his credibility with
traditionalists as he settled into power.
Instead, his continuing campaign
against Western-inspired ideas has
emboldened traditional party leftists.
China watchers all need to stop
saying this is all for show or that
hes turning left to turn right, said
Mr Christopher Johnson, an expert
on China at the Centre for Strategic

and International Studies, who formerly worked as a senior China analyst at the Central Intelligence Agency.
This is a core part of the guys personality. The leftists certainly feel hes
their guy.
Document No 30 demands cleansing Western-inspired liberal ideas
from universities and other cultural
institutions, said Mr Song Fangmin, a
retired major-general, who discussed
it with dozens of veteran party oicials and hard-left activists at a meeting in Beijing in November.
The directive formed a sequel to
Document No 9, which Mr Xi authorised in April 2013, launching an ofensive against ideas such as civil society,
General Song said.
Unlike Document No 9, which was
widely circulated online, to the consternation of party leaders, No 30 has
not been openly published.
But some of Mr Xis comments
have appeared in party publications,
and references to it have surfaced on
the websites of universities, party organisations and leftist groups, illuminating how the directive has coursed
through the government to amplify
pressure on dissent.
One political scientist from a prestigious Beijing university said senior
leaders had tried to keep the document
conidential by transmitting it orally
through the ranks.
This time its being kept top secret, he said, because last time
things were far too public.
The ideological policing has sent
a chill through Chinas liberal intelligentsia. Several academics declined
to be interviewed, saying they were lying low for the time being. Others said
they had already experienced what
they liken to an ideological purge.
Since October, Mr Qiao, the journalism professor and director of the
Center for International Communications Studies at Beijing Foreign Studies University, has been relegated to
clerical drudgery, summarising English-language books in the school library, as retribution, he says, for his
advocacy of Western-style journalism
and a long ailiation with liberal civil
society groups in China.
In addition to barring him from the
classroom, administrators slashed his
salary by a third, he said, removed his
name from the departments website
and forced his students to ind other
thesis advisers. Its meant to be a
kind of humiliation, he said, adding
that he was told his demotion could
last for years. THE NEW YORK TIMES
23
china&india
HONG KONG The Hong Kong government has cancelled the Chief Executives town hall meetings for the irst
time over concerns about potential
public unrest spurred by pro-democracy protests that ended last month.
Mr Leung Chun-yings meet-thepeople sessions were called off because of the situation and atmosphere
in the city when they were scheduled,
a spokesman for Mr Leungs office,
who asked that his name not be used
per oice policy, said by phone. The
South Chinese Morning Post reported
the cancellation yesterday.
Mr Leung held at least three of the
sessions annually over the previous ive
years to gauge public opinion before his
annual policy address and budget release. The cancelled meetings were due
to take place in the last quarter of last
year, before the policy speech in the
middle of this month and the budget
announcement in late February.
The cancellation of the dialogue
between Hong Kongs top leader and
the public is a sign that the Occupy
Central movement, which ended on
Dec 15 after 79 days of occupation of
the streets by pro-democracy protesters, is having far-reaching efects on
the citys public afairs.
Its a most disappointing decision,
because it gives the impression that
the Hong Kong government has no intention to directly engage the public
communities in a meaningful political
dialogue, said Dr Joseph Cheng, a political science professor at the City Uni-
HK chiefs town hall meetings

axed over fears of unrest
versity of Hong Kong and a convener of

the pro-protest Alliance for True Democracy. The Occupy movement has
shown Hong Kong society has rapidly
polarised and the best way to reduce
polarisation is to address the entire
community in an open manner.
The government started consultations for this years policy address
and the 2015-16 budget in mid-October,
A student
protester resting
next to a defaced
cut-out of Hong
Kong Chief
Executive Leung
Chun-ying in
September last
year. PHOTO: AP
inviting the public to air their views via

a website, or by email, phone or fax.
The consultation exercises were meant
to enable more comprehensive discussion with the community and should
allow the government to collect views
from members of the public extensively and thoroughly, said a statement on
the governments website.
Mr Leung will deliver his policy ad-
dress on Jan 14 and Financial Secretary John Tsang will present the 201516 budget to the Legislative Council
on Feb 25, a statement on the governments website showed.
Hong Kong returned to Chinese
rule in 1997 under a one country, two
systems formula that gives the city
more autonomy and freedom than the
mainland and a goal of universal suffrage. The protesters had demanded
reforms, including open nominations
in the citys next election for Chief
Executive in 2017. Beijing has said it
would allow a 2017 vote, but only between pre-screened candidates.
Protest leaders have said they are
considering other forms of civil disobedience, given Chinas continued refusal to grant any concessions.
At their peak, the mainly peaceful
protests drew well over 100,000 people as students vented their anger at
Beijings refusal to budge on the electoral reforms. The protests had also
represented one of the most serious
challenges to Chinas authority since
the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations and bloody crackdown in and
around Beijings Tiananmen Square.
However, scules have previously
broken out at public forums between
pro-establishment and pan-democratic groups. In 2013, police arrested four
people involved in clashes between
pro- and anti- government groups at
a public meeting with the Chief Executive, the local media have reported.
AGENCIES
24
world
statement may help smooth ties with China, south Korea
Abe to express remorse over World War II

Japanese Prime Minister
Shinzo Abe intends to express remorse over World War II in a statement to mark the 70th anniversary of
the end of the conlict, in a move that
may help smooth ties with China and
South Korea.
The Abe administration intends
to gather expertise and write a new
statement to show the world our remorse over the last war, our path
as a democratic nation of peace and
how we will contribute even more
in future to Asia and the world,
Mr Abe told reporters yesterday at Ise
shrine in Mie prefecture.
This years anniversary will be a
crucial chance to rebuild relations
with China and South Korea that have
been chilled by disputes over territory and views of wartime history that
predate Mr Abes election victory in
December 2012.
Mr Abes policies, including increasing the defence budget, lifting a
ban on arms exports and reinterpreting the paciist constitution to allow
TOKYO
Mr Abe (centre),
on a visit to Ise
shrine yesterday,
says his Cabinet
upholds
views of past
administrations
on the war.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Japan to defend other countries, have

also sparked unease.
Chinese President Xi Jinping said
at a war commemoration event last
month that forgetting history means
betrayal and denying the crime means
committing it once again.
When South Korean President
Park Geun-hye met Mr Abe in Beijing
last November, she refused to hold a
bilateral summit until the Japanese

leader stops denying the past.
China noted Mr Abes comments
at a brieing yesterday by its Foreign
Ministry in Beijing.
We hope Japan will be consistent
in its words and actions, have a correct
understanding and attitude towards
its history of aggression and abide by
its statements and promises regarding history, said Ms Hua Chunying, a
ministry spokeswoman.
The new statement will come after similar documents were issued on
the 50th and 60th anniversaries of Tokyos surrender on Aug 15, 1945.
Until now, it has been unclear how
Mr Abe plans to refer to Japans role
in the war, given that his grandfather
Nobusuke Kishi served in the Cabinet
during the conlict and was later de-
tained as a war criminal.

Mr Abe reiterated that his Cabinet
upholds the views of past Japanese administrations on the war, including
the Murayama Statement, and will
continue to do so.
(Since the war), Japan has built a
free and democratic nation that protects human rights and respects the
rule of law. We have taken the path of
a country of peace, he said.
In his 1995 declaration, then Prime
Minister Tomiichi Murayama said Japan through its colonial rule and aggression, caused tremendous damage
and sufering to the people of many
countries. He also indicated deep remorse and a heartfelt apology.
Ten years later, Mr Junichiro Koizumi used the same language of regret in his statement. BLOOMBERG
More foreigners joining

fight against Islamic State
W h i le i l le ga l ly
crossing the Iraqi-Syrian border,
Mr Peter Douglas from Canada was
adamant that his incursion was for
humanitarian reasons to help
the people of Syria. Mr Douglas is
one of a growing band of foreigners
to dodge the authorities and join the
ight against Islamic State militants,
who have killed thousands and taken
parts of Iraq and Syria, declaring a
Caliphate in areas under their control.
Many of these ighters argue they
are there for humanitarian reasons,
but say their decision to ight for the
Syrian people will not be viewed as
such by some. I want to ight the Islamic State, although it may be the
last thing I do, said Mr Douglas,
66, from Vancouver, as he prepared
to board a boat crossing a remote
stretch of the Tigris River.
An estimated few dozen Westerners have joined Kurdish ighters
battling the Islamic State in Syria,
including Americans, Canadians,
Germans and Britons.
The Peoples Protection Units, a
Syrian-Kurdish armed faction more
commonly known as YPG, has not
released oicial numbers conirming foreign or freedom fighters
and academics say it is hard to assess the total.
But the number pales compared
with about 16,000 fighters from
about 90 nations to join the Islamic
State since 2012, the United States
Department of State igures show.
Western governments are closely
monitoring foreign ighters, but law
D E R I K ( S Y R I A)
enforcement agencies are acting differently towards those joining the Islamic State or linking up with Kurdish resistance, whose motivations
are more diverse.
British Prime Minister David Cameron has made it clear there is a fundamental diference between ighting for
the Kurds and the Islamic State. British law stipulates ighting in a foreign
war is not automatically an offence
and depends on circumstances.
Mr Jamie Read and Mr James
Hughes, two British army veterans,
who returned home last month after
several months with the YPG, said
they were ighting for humanitarian
purposes. No action has been taken
against them since they returned.
Still, many foreign YPG ighters
are concerned about repercussions
when they return home and so seek
to stay anonymous. We may get into
trouble with our governments, said
a US veteran, who ensured all his affairs were in order before heading
to Rojava, the area controlled by the
YPG in Syria.
Analyst Lorenzo Vidino at the
Institute for International Political
Studies in Italy said foreign ighters
might argue they are joining the battle against the Islamic State for the
good, but they were not efective militarily. Westerners joining the YPG
are a very small phenomenon, especially if compared with the Islamic
State. The IS recruitment machine
works better and you can see proof
of that in terms of numbers, he said.
REUTERS
25
world
Once-trusted ally takes on Sri Lanka President

COLOMBO Over a dinner of rice-lour
pancakes with his trusted Health
Minister one November evening, Sri
Lankan President Mahinda Rajapaksa
observed with a grin that there would
be no serious candidate to challenge
him in Thursdays presidential election.
Little did Mr Rajapaksa know then
that the man who would stand in his
way of winning an unprecedented third
term as President of this Indian Ocean
island nation was right beside him.
When he said that nobody was going to challenge him, I was next to him
and felt sorry for him, Mr Rajapaksas
former Health Minister, Mr Mithripala
Sirisena, later told a campaign meeting
about his decision to turn on the President and run as the oppositions common candidate in the poll. I came out
because I could not stay anymore with
a leader who had plundered the country, government and national wealth.
Branded a traitor by Mr Rajapaksas close allies, Mr Sirisena has forged
many political alliances and now appears to be within striking distance of
unseating a President who, just weeks
ago, had looked unassailable.
Since Mr Sirisenas defection,
25 Rajapaksa loyalists in the 225-seat
Parliament have followed, unleashing
a wave of popular disgust with a leader
whose once-extraordinary popularity
has withered amid complaints of autocracy, corruption and nepotism.
Victory for Mr Sirisena would put
a full stop to a reign that has brought
brisk economic growth following the
end of a 26-year conflict with Tamil
Tiger separatists in 2009, deepening
ties with China and souring relations
with Western nations over allegations
of war crimes and rights abuses.
Mr Sirisena has vowed to scrap a
US$1.5 billion (S$2 billion) deal with
China Communications Construction
to build a port city and a casino licence
that was given to Australian gambling
tycoon James Packers Crown Resorts.
The 63-year-old leader from the
rural heartlands projects himself as
a champion of the farming masses,
a clean-living figure who has campaigned against smoking and abjures alcohol.
There is no credible and unbiased
opinion poll on the election outcome.
Mr Sirisena represents the countrys
Sinhalese Buddhist majority, who account for 70 per cent of its 21 million
population, and he was acting Defence
Minister when the war against the
Tamil Tigers reached its bloody climax
in 2009. However, he also has promised a new broom that has appealed to
ethnic Tamils, Muslims and Christians
in a country where minorities have
felt increasingly marginalised. He has
pledged to deal with war-crimes allegations through an independent mechanism, establish independent commissions to secure the impartiality of the
judiciary, police and other public services, and crack down on corruption.
Mr Sirisena was only 16 when he
irst took on the establishment, joining
an anti-government rally organised by
a communist party that ended within

minutes as the police waded in. He ran
for safety through the unknown streets
of the capital, Colombo, before taking
an overnight train to his village.
He was jailed for 15 months in 1971
for alleged involvement in an insurrection led by Marxists and was arrested
eight years later for organising a public
Sri Lankas
oppositions
presidential
candidate
Mithripala
Sirisena, 63,
projects himself
as a champion
of the farming
masses, a cleanliving igure who
has campaigned
against
smoking and
abjures alcohol.
PHOTO: REUTERS
protest. After joining mainstream politics, he was ofered the post of Prime
Minister by Mr Rajapaksas predecessor but he declined it.
Few would have believed that
Mr Sirisena would now be so close to
toppling a President who had basked in
popularity after winning the war and
skilfully kept his opponents at bay.
Mr Rajapaksa has also benefited

from the disunity of opposition parties,
which have now united behind his rival. Today 48 political parties and organisations have united as a common
coalition regardless of party policies,
ethnicity and religion to defeat Mr Rajapaksas corrupt regime, Mr Sirisena
said. REUTERS
26
business
restricted supply of new space has pushed last years rental growth to 14.7%
Prime oice rents to extend

gains amid limited availability
SINGAPORE Prime oice rents, which
are set to post their biggest increase

in at least four years in the year just
ended, may extend gains in 2015
in a supply-constrained market,
despite uncertain economic growth
prospects.
The limited availability of new
prime oice space in Singapore has
led to low vacancy levels and pushed
last years rental growth to 14.7 per
cent, real estate irm CBRE estimated
yesterday. The same restricted supply
will prevail this year, even while demand cools a little amid fears of slowing growth.
The office rental index for prime
areas rose 8.7 per cent in the first
nine months of last year, heading for
its largest gain since 2010, data from
the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) showed. The index for the
fourth quarter will be released by the
URA later this month.
Mr Moray Armstrong, CBRE executive director for oice services, said
yesterday: The Singapore oice sector performed within expectations in
2014, with rental levels advancing of

low prevailing vacancy rates. Looking ahead, limited availability of ofice space will continue through 2015,
with relief to occupiers only when the
next wave of major new supply arrives
in the second half of next year.
In these circumstances, we anticipate further rental growth, particularly in the early part of the year.
The pace of rental growth may slacken
later this year and into 2016, as the impact of sizable future supply becomes
apparent, he said.
Singapore is ranked 14th among
the worlds most expensive prime ofice markets at US$112.91 (S$151) per
sq ft of occupancy costs a year, which
include rent, local taxes and service
charges, CBRE said.
Londons West End topped the list
at US$273.63, Hong Kongs Central
was second at US$250.61, followed by
Beijings Finance Street at US$197.75,
CBREs ranking showed.
Mr Alan Cheong, a director at
Savills, said landlords in Singapore
are in a strong position to resist
Singapore Technologies Marine Ltd (ST Marine), a premier shipyard

providing services to a worldwide customer base in the naval and
commercial markets, has immediate vacancies for:
SECURITY GUARDS
(PERMANENT/IN HOUSE)
Gross Pay Up to $2200

Able to perform 12 hours shifts (AM/PM)
Physically t
Possess SIRD Security Licence
Only Singapore Citizens need to apply
Benets: Annual Variable Bonus, Annual Leave, Medical and
Insurance Coverage, Island-wide Company Transport
Walk In Interview between Mondays-Fridays, 10am - 4pm
by visiting our ofce:
16 Benoi Road
Singapore 629882
Transport: Take Bus Number 251 from Boon Lay Interchange
Interested applicants can also send in resume to:
career.marine@stengg.com, or call 68609172 or 68609353
for further enquiries about the position.
www.stengg.com
demands for lower rents because of

the limited amount of new space available this year and next.
Only about 1.15 million sq ft of new
oice space will come on stream this
year, down almost 40 per cent from
1.87 million sq ft last year, noted
Ms Alice Tan, director of consultancy and research at real estate broker
Knight Frank.
Some landlords are trying to use
this to push tenants to accept unusually long leases, amid concerns that
the large amount of new oice space
14th
SINGAPORES
RANkING
AmONG thE
wORldS mOSt
ExPENSIvE
PRImE OffIcE
mARkEtS,
At S$151
PER SQ ft Of
OccUPANcY
cOStS A YEAR
Weak demand hits

industrial rents, but
business parks boom
Weak demand for
conventional factory space, coupled with a big injection of supply
to existing stock, contributed to
falling rents for industrial space
in the fourth quarter of last year,
said property consultancy DTZ
Research yesterday.
Demand for space in business
parks and high-tech industrial facilities, on the other hand, continued to rise, underpinning rents for
this sector, it said, adding that the
rental gap between newer and older industrial buildings is expected
to widen this year.
Dema nd for factor y space
plunged to 4.8 million sq ft in the
first three quarters of last year
from 5.3 million sq ft in the corresponding period in 2013, weighed
down by the weak outlook for
manufacturing.
Factory output in November unexpectedly fell by 2.8 per cent from
the same month in 2013, against
SINGAPORE
Despite the
weak fourth
quarter, the rental
market for the full
year was stable,
with average
monthly rents for
traditional industrial
space inching up
1.6 per cent last
year from 2013 to
S$2 per sq ft.
due to be completed two years from

now will cause the market to soften.
Marina One, a development taking
shape on reclaimed land in the Marina
Bay area, will alone add 2.2 million sq
ft of oice space in 2017, boosting supply in that year to about 4.7 million sq
ft, said Knight Frank.
Instead of the traditional threeyear lease for oice space, landlords
have responded to the extra supply
in 2017 by asking for ive- to six-year
lease agreements to lock in todays
high prices, Ms Tan said.
Tenants are asking for discounts
in exchange for agreeing to the longer
leases, she added.
On the other hand, prospects of
slowing economic growth may cause
prime oice rental growth to slow to
a range of 5 to 7 per cent this year,
Ms Tan warned, as businesses become more cautious about taking on
new space. AGENcIES
the median forecast for a 0.3 per
cent gain.
The weak market, exacerbated
by the injection of 14.5 million sq ft
of space in the past three quarters,
caused rents for industrial property to
fall by 1.3 per cent in the fourth quarter from the third, DTZ said.
The number of transactions for strata-titled industrial properties in the
fourth quarter dropped almost 20 per
cent from the previous quarter. A total of 936 properties changed hands
last year, down sharply from the 2,451
strata-titled transactions in 2013, as
the Total Debt Servicing Ratio framework, uncertain global outlook and an
expected rise in interest rates made
industrial property less attractive.
Despite the weak fourth quarter,
the rental market for the full year was
stable, with average monthly rents for
traditional industrial space inching
up 1.6 per cent last year from 2013 to
S$2 per sq ft.
Meanwhile, demand for businesspark space was solid, with rents jumping 6.8 per cent to S$5 per sq ft, while
those for high-tech space stood at
S$3.20 per sq ft.
Ms Cheng Siow Ying, DTZs executive director of business space, said:
Demand for business parks and hightech properties is more resilient this
year, due to the increase in oice rents,
which motivated some qualifying occupiers to seek more afordable options in
oice-industrial hybrid spaces.
Tenants prioritising cost savings
and a good location will be willing to
pay higher rents for newer and betterquality buildings, such as those at onenorth, Aperia and Mapletree Business
City. As the trend continues, the rental
gap between such newer buildings and
the older ones will widen, she added.
tAN wEIZhEN
27
business
continues to speculate that the ECB

will start QE this month. The election in Greece probably complicates
the agenda for Draghi.
The German government has since
countered that it is conident Greece
will stick to the bailout terms set out
by the European Union and the International Monetary Fund.
The reasons to be selling the euro
were pretty clear over the weekend:
Draghi being a step closer to QE and
deepening concerns about the Greek
Mr Draghi (right), seen here with German Chancellor Angela

Merkel, has signalled that the ECB is ready for stimulus. REUTERS
Euro falls to 9-year

low on news of
easing, Greek exit
LONDON The euro tumbled to its lowest level in almost nine years versus
the dollar yesterday as investors bet
on quantitative easing (QE) by the European Central Bank (ECB) and reacted to a disputed report saying Germany was preparing to allow Greece
to quit the currency bloc.
The shared currency slid as much
as 1.2 per cent from the previous close
to US$1.1864 its weakest level since
March 2006 after ECB president
Mario Draghi last week gave his clearest signal that the central bank was
ready to launch quantitative easing to
tackle the threat of delation.
The euro later narrowed the decline to US$1.1959 as of 8.56am London time (4.56pm Singapore time).
In an interview with German inancial daily Handelsblatt published on
Friday, Mr Draghi said the risk of the
central bank not fulilling its mandate
of preserving price stability was higher now than half a year ago.
The market took his comments to
mean that he is ready to adopt quantitative easing, said Mr Shin Kadota, chief forex strategist at Barclays
in Tokyo.
Economists forecast that Wednesdays eurozone inlation data will show
that prices fell 0.1 per cent last month,
the irst decline since 2009.
That should fan expectations the
ECB could ease its policy as soon as
Jan 22, when it holds its irst policy
meeting this year.
The sharp slide in the euro also
came as Greece began an election
campaign that may determine the fate
of the countrys membership in the euro area, with Der Spiegel magazine
reporting that German Chancellor
Angela Merkel believes the eurozone
could handle a Greek exit, piling even
more pressure on the single currency.
Its very hard to imagine something that can convince the market
that the euro is not a selling opportunity at this juncture, said Mr Roberto
Mialich, a senior currency strategist
at UniCredit in Milan. The market
1.2%
FALL IN
THE EURO
AT ITS
LOWEST POINT
FOLLOWING
ECB PRESIDENT
DRAGHIS
REMARKS
political situation, said Mr Sean Callow, a currency strategist at Westpac

Banking Corp in Sydney. The euro
was so close to such a keenly watched
round number as US$1.20 that we
didnt need any fresh news to tip us
over the clif.
The decline in the euro may have
further to go. Many currency specialists expect it to weaken quickly to 1.18
or 1.17 against the dollar and trading
patterns suggest the euro-dollar pair,
the worlds most-traded, could reach
the 2005 low of US$1.1640 if it closes

below US$1.18 this week.
But they also caution that the
time lag between a weaker currency
and higher growth and inlation can
be considerable.
Japan is a prime example. Since the
middle of 2012, the yen has lost a third
of its value against the dollar, yet the
growth in the countrys exports has
been disappointing and its economy
remains stuck in a delationary slump.
AGENCIES
28
technology
after price cut, xbox outsold playstation 4 in november
Microsoft, Nintendo
play catch-up with
Sony in games market
SEATTLE After the last holiday season,
when competitors made a series of missteps, Sony looked as if it might gain an
unassailable lead in the console market
over the course of 2014 with its PlayStation 4. Nintendo was losing money
and Microsoft which released the
Xbox One system around the same
time as the PlayStation 4 last fall
lagged behind Sonys sales, a gulf that
widened as the new year progressed.
During the recent holiday season,
though, both companies were resurgent, with Nintendo releasing a series of hit games for its Wii U system.
And Microsoft, Sonys most direct
competitor in the games market, cut
the starting price of the Xbox One to
US$349 (S$464), US$50 cheaper than

the PlayStation 4. The move helped it
regain a lead in sales in the United
States, the most important market
for the product.
It seemed like Microsoft this holiday season had a better message for
core gamers than Sony, said Mr David Cole, an analyst at DFC Intelligence,
a game research irm. The price drop
is huge you cant discount that.
On Nov 2 last year, with the most
important selling season approaching, Microsoft temporarily dropped
the starting price of Xbox One, a promotion that ended on Saturday.
The discount highlighted a sharp
turn in strategy by Microsoft. When
S$464
ThE STArTing
pricE of
microSofTS
xbox onE,
US$50 chEApEr
ThAn SonyS
pLAySTATion 4
the Xbox One was irst released, it included the Kinect motion-sensing device, and the package was US$499
US$100 more than the PlayStation 4. In
June, Microsoft began selling an Xbox
One without the Kinect for US$399.
Microsofts price-cutting finally
paid off in November, allowing it to
outsell the PlayStation 4 in the US,
Microsoft said, citing data from the
NPD Group, a research irm.
A Sony spokeswoman declined to
comment on Microsofts improved position in the US.
Sony and Microsoft have not said
how well their systems sold last
month, but it is a safe bet that the PlayStation 4 still has an overall sales edge
on Xbox One. In mid-November, Microsoft said it was on the verge of shipping its 10 millionth Xbox One, while
the previous month Sony said it had
shipped 13.5 million sets of the PlayStation 4. Both igures represent sales
of consoles to retailers, not necessarily systems sold to the public.
Nintendos fortunes have improved, too, though the company has
not come close to repeating the success of the original Wii, the motion-
sensing console that became a breakout hit during the last generation of
games hardware. The Wii U, its successor, is centred on a touch-screen
game controller that has taken a while
to catch on with consumers. The company said it had sold 7.29 million Wii U
consoles as of Sept 30, even though it
went on sale a year before the latest
Microsoft and Sony oferings.
Even though its hardware sales
are lagging, Nintendo makes the
most popular games for its systems,
including longtime game franchises
like Mario, Zelda and Pokemon. Those
games give the company another big
source of income. Several of its Wii U
titles, including Super Smash Bros
and Mario Kart 8, are big sellers.
Mr Michael Pachter, an analyst at
Wedbush Securities, said he thought
Microsofts price-cutting showed how
aggressive it was willing to be to beat
Sony in the console market. In my
view, Sony will be content with second
place if they sell 50 per cent more consoles than last cycle, he said, while
Microsoft wont be content with second place no matter how many consoles they sell. ThE nEW yorK TimES
Advertisers
want a bite of
Apple Watch,
but without
irking wearers
build watch-tailored applications.

Using that tool, developers are devising Apple Watch ad formats including interactive wallpapers on the watch
dial with brand logos and personalised
clock faces, said TapSenses chief executive Ash Kumar. His product helps
developers insert ads, bought and sold
instantaneously, in those apps.
The watchs main screen allows the
display of several tiny icons, including for email, weather, time, and potentially a few favourite service and
retail apps.
Businesses could use those apps
to notify customers of special deals,
but only within already-opened apps,
Mr Kumar said. Otherwise, the vendor risks annoying consumers by introducing an ad that is out of sync with
whatever they are doing.
If a consumer is using a transit app
on the watch to monitor delays, for
example, an advertiser could insert a
marketing ofer that would light up on
the watch face for a ride-sharing service or a deal at a cofee shop nearby,
Mr Kumar said.
But moderation is key. Push notifications and banner ads on smartphones can be turn-ofs. Some marketers advise avoiding showing ads to
users who typically click out of them
or delivering the same ad too many
times to any one user.
If it feels like your smartwatch is
turning into a spam box, you will take
it of, said Mr Padden Guy Murphy,
who heads business development and
public policy at car-sharing service
Getaround. rEUTErS
LAS VEgAS Apples forthcoming smartwatch poses a conundrum for advertisers: How to tap the enticing possibilities
of the tiny gadget without overwhelming consumers with messages.
At this weeks Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, mobilemarketing firm TapSense plans to
release an Apple Watch ad-buying
service. The service will provide a
irst glimpse of how businesses can
place ads on the watch, even though
the gadget will not be available until
later this year.
At issue: The same qualities that
render the watch exciting to advertisers, such as the ability to detect customers approaching a store and to zap
an ad directly to their wrists, also risk
alienating those customers.
Apple declined to comment on the
use of its watch by advertisers, and will
not attend the CES oicially. But many
companies that make devices and
services based around Apple products
will be there, including several that are
working with WatchKit, a softwaredevelopment tool Apple released last
November that allows developers to
29
sports
team will train twice a day on weekdays and once on saturdays
TAO LI OPTS FOR CHINA TRAINING

Swim queen absent
from national
training centre
under new head
coach Sergio Lopez
ADELENE WONG
adelenewong@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE Swim
queen Tao Li has

opted out of the national training
centre (NTC) squad under Singapores new swimming head coach
Sergio Lopez and will train in China
for Junes South-east Asian Games
(SEA) on home soil.
Thirty-ive swimmers applied to
be part of the NTC, out of 59 carded
swimmers invited last month by the
Singapore Swimming Association
(SSA). Of the 35 applicants, Spaniard
Lopez and assistant coach Gary Tan
selected 23, rejected one, with the
rest under review or based overseas.
But the notable name missing from yesterdays irst training
sessions for the NTC at the OCBC
Aquatic Centre was two-time Asian
Games gold medallist Tao Li.
Tao Li and Joseph Schooling
who Lopez coached for ive years at
The Bolles School at Florida are
expected to lead Singapores charge
at the SEA Games to help retain the
Republics status as the top swimming nation in the region.
At the last two SEA Games, Tao

Li brought home ive (four gold, one
bronze) and eight (seven gold, one
bronze) medals respectively.
While her performance at last
years Asian and Commonwealth
Games showed a return to her old
form after only a four-month stint
with Lopez at The Bolles School, Tao
wants to train in her birth place in
Hubei for the time being.
I will be training in China for a
while, that is why I did not apply (for
the national training programme),
she said in a phone interview.
Asked if she will return to Singapore and train under Lopez again,
she replied: I will see how.
National
swimming head
coach Sergio
Lopez (standing,
right) with his
assistant Gary
Tan at a training
session with
the national
swimmers at the
OCBC Aquatic
Centre yesterday.
PHOTO: OOI BOON KEONG
FIRST AUSTRALIAN WIN FOR

TENNIS JUNIOR ETHAN LYE
SINGAPORE The year has begun on a
winning note for up-and-coming tennis junior Ethan Lye who yesterday
won his irst tournament since moving to Australia last September to
take up a partial three-year scholarship with the Voyager Tennis Academy in Sydney.
Competing at the 2015 Northern
Suburbs Tennis Association Open
Junior in Sydney, the 13-year-old
Singaporean kicked off his singles
campaign by upsetting top seed Adam OShannessy a player ranked
No 569 by Tennis Australia 6-7(3),
7-5, 6-4 in the irst round. Lye, who
was unseeded at No 1644, went on to
defeat third seed Wilson Hou (6-3,
7-5) in the semi-inals.
Against second seed Josh Kaplan (No 597) in the inal, Ethan took
the irst set 6-1 before his Austral-
ian opponent was forced to retire due

to injury, handing the Singaporean
the title.
Yesterdays win is a significant
milestone for Ethan, whose previous
best performance from six tournaments in Australia was a semi-inal
finish at the New South Wales 12
and Under Australian Championship Qualifying Event in September.
This win is pretty big for me as
I just moved here a few months ago.
It shows how much Ive improved
in over a couple of months, and its
good to have a title under the 2015
column, said Ethan in a phone interview from Sydney.
Its not that nice when your opponent has to retire, but I think I played
a good tournament. The boys were
mostly 14-year-olds and they served
much bigger than me. I beat the No 1
This year,
I hope to
play a lot of
tournaments,
and hopefully
do well
enough to get
my rankings
up to play at
higher level
tournaments.
I will also be
looking for
International
Tennis
Federation
junior
tournaments
to play in.
Ethan Lye
TODAY understands that late last

year Tao Li asked the SSA and the
Singapore Sports Institute for funding to train overseas. The outcome of
the request is still pending.
Meanwhile, Spaniard Lopez is unruled by Tao Lis absence, preferring to focus on running the NTC,
which will train twice a day on weekdays and once on Saturdays. I am
not concerned about Tao Li. I spoke
with her two months ago. She is a
grown-up and she knows what is best
for her. So if China is where she wants
to be, then it is her decision, he said.
The SEA Games is coming up
soon, and she needs to swim really
fast then, so it is up to her.
seed and played a good semi-inal.
One of the Republics brightest
young talents, Ethan had irst moved
to Chiangmai, Thailand, with his
family in June 2012 to allow him to
further his tennis development, before moving to Sydney last year after
an opportunity to train at the Van
der Meer Tennis Academy in United
States fell through as his mother Vera could not secure a long-term visa.
Training at Sydneys Olympic
Park under the watchful eyes of the
Voyager Tennis Academys coaches
which include former ATP player
Luke Bourgeois, who was previously
Roger Federers hitting partner
has reaped rewards for Ethan. The
1.7m-tall player said: Training here
has given me a bigger serve, and Im
working on my forehand. My coaches are also trying to get me to play
more aggressive tennis, and build
my strength and itness.
Ethans coaches have also arranged a week-long training stint
Lopez, a bronze medallist at the

1988 Olympic Games, will in the
coming week work out a comprehensive training schedule towards
the SEA Games, after spending an
hour with the national swimmers yesterday to understand their school and
work schedules.
I am here to understand the culture and the education system in
Singapore and know what my swimmers are facing, he said. I will also meet the primary coaches of the
swimmers at the NTC in the next
two weeks to see how we can best
work out a plan for each swimmer.
For it to be a smooth transition for
the swimmers with six months to the
Games and a new coach too, I dont
think it is a problem as it is enough of a
time frame to work with. My coaching
will be progressive and not diverge
too much suddenly from what they
have been used to for years.
Sprint specialist Amanda Lim,
along with Hannah Quek and Darren
Chua, have been accepted by the NTC
but will join only after the SEA Games.
It can be tough to have a change
in coach so close to a major Games
and takes some getting used to with
a new training programme, said
Lim. I do not want it to jeopardise
my chances at the SEA Games.
The next intake for the NTC is in
July, with a yearly review done every December for a new intake and to
determine if existing athletes in the
squad should continue.
Ethan (right) with runner-up Josh

Kaplan at the Northern Suburbs Tennis
Association Open Junior. PHOTO: VERA LYE
for him with the Australian national

team starting today. LOW LIN FHOONG
30
sports
coMMenTarY bY
henrY WInTer
he passion with which Manchester United celebrated

their goals and ultimate victory against the League Ones bottom club demonstrated how seriously they are taking the FA Cup.
Ander Herrera was even cautioned
for his gleeful reaction to scoring as
he rushed towards the jubilant 2,149
away fans standing behind the goal.
Angel di Maria confirmed the
progress to the fourth round in the
90th minute, dinking the ball over
Yeovils keeper Jed Steer, as Uniteds fans danced on the open terrace.
United seem on a mission, Operation
Wembley, giving substance and direction to a strange season.
It said much for Uniteds hunger
for the Cup that their wing-backs,
Rafael da Silva and Luke Shaw the
54th and 55th separate injuries, respectively, at United since Louis van
Gaal took charge as manager in July
last year both played through the
pain barrier, inally coming of at the
break to have injuries attended to.
Rafael has a fracture of his bone
so it was fantastic he had the guts to
play through, but I have to change
him and also Luke Shaw had an ankle problem, Van Gaal said.
Van Gaal is doing a good rebuilding job but he could do with a trophy
to add lustre to his work. The United manager reiterated his belief that
they could overhaul Manchester City
and Chelsea in the Premier League
race but the Cup is surely a more realistic target.
United captain Wayne Rooney
is full of motivation: He has never
laid hands on the Cup, having joined
three months after Uniteds last
triumph in 2004.
Ryan Giggs has already had a
word with his boss about this seasons holy grail, the hunt for a 12th FA
Cup on May 30. I have heard of my
UniteD finD fresh

thirst for the cUp
fantastic assistant that United for

11 years have not won this FA Cup
so maybe we can do that but it is a
long way, the manager said. The
priority is also the Premier League
but nine points is not so many.
Van Gaal described the deathor-glory nature of Cup combat as
death or the gladioli but it took
United more than an hour to reach
out and pluck the bloom from Somerset soil. Yeovil delivered a resilient
performance in keeping with their
Cup traditions, pressing United relentlessly, and refusing to go quietly
into the night as dusk settled on Huish Park in the second half.
Man United
celebrating their
opening goal
against Yeovil
town on sunday.
United are on
the hunt for
their 12th fa cup.
PhoTo: aP
henry Winter
is a football
correspondent
with The Daily
Telegraph.
Yeovil will reflect ruefully on a

glorious missed chance by Kieffer
Moore nine minutes into the second
half with the score at 0-0. Gary Johnsons players will also relect that it
took players who cost 29 million
(S$59 million) and 59 million respectively, Herrera and Di Maria, to
break their hearts.
Yeovil respected their guests but
were never in awe of them. When the
captains were in the referees room
before kick-off, handing in teamsheets, Joe Edwards asked Rooney
if he could have his shirt after the
inal whistle. Yet, Edwards and his
players played throughout as if be-
lieving they were equals.

For this was the day when the Cup
came to town again, when the elite
dropped in on Somerset, when locals
briely dreamed of another chapter
in Yeovils giantkilling legend. From
three hours before kick-off fans
gathered outside Huish Park, some
waving Manchester Who? and
We wanted City banners.
Some broke away from their vigil
waiting for the visitors team bus to
nip into the adjacent Portakabin selling thousands of old programmes, including Uniteds most recent Champions League inal appearances in
Rome in 2009 and at Wembley 2011.
Rooney, who played in both
games, was now stepping from those
sepia-print pages, stepping from the
bus and stepping out at Huish Park.
Outside, Yeovil fans were staring at
Sir Alex Fergusons helicopter touching down in a nearby ield.
Inside, an ambush was briefly plotted. Van Gaal needed all his
managerial nous to get his players to
break down Yeovils resilience, sending on Juan Mata and Jonny Evans
for Rafael and Shaw at half-time.
In the irst half they gave no time
to us on the ball, a lot of pressure,
said Van Gaal, dismissing the notion
that a Premier League side should
automatically sweep aside a side
rooted to the bottom of League One.
It is not a matter of how far below
(a team is). When you see their performance it was fantastic. Everyone
thinks these players from United are
100 million (S$159 million) players
against 5,000 players but it is not
like that. When you are organised
like Yeovil, and you believe, they can
be tough. THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
results of sundays
fa cup third round matches
arsenal 2 hull 0, chelsea 3 Watford 0,
Yeovil 0 Man Utd 2, aston Villa 1
blackpool 0, Man city 2 Shefield
Wednesday 1, Southampton 1 Ipswich 1,
Stoke 3 Wrexham 1, Dover 0 crystal
Palace 4, QPr 0 Shefield United 3,
Sunderland 1 leeds 0
Despite shock loss,

Barca coach DefenDs
Decision to rest stars
BARCELONA Barcelona coach Luis
Enrique has defended his decision to
leave Lionel Messi and Neymar on
the bench in their shock 1-0 defeat at
Real Sociedad on Sunday (yesterday
morning, Singapore time) as they
missed a chance to catch leaders
and arch-rivals Real Madrid, whose
22-match winning run inally ended
with a 2-1 loss at Valencia.
Jordi Alba headed into his own
net in the second minute to give Sociedad the lead against a Barca side
with Messi and Neymar on the bench
having only returned on Friday from
their Christmas break.
Barca failed to link up well in
attack and it was Sociedad, now
coached by former Manchester Unit-
ed manager David Moyes, that carried the greater threat on the counter for much of the game. It meant
the Catalans stay a point behind Real, who have a game in hand, at the
top of the Spanish La Liga standings.
There is no point in saying what
might have happened if they (Messi
and Neymar) had started the game,
said Barca coach Luis Enrique.
I thought it was the right decision
as I didnt want to take a risk with the
players who had just returned from
holiday and a long trip less than two
days before. I decided to put them on
in the second half.
I dont think the result was just
as we didnt deserve to lose but this
is football and it can happen that you
I thought it
was the right
decision as
I didnt want
to take a
risk with
the players
who had
just returned
from holiday
and a long trip
less than two
days before.
Luis Enrique
barcelona coach
Barcelonas lionel Messi (centre) vying for the ball with real sociedads inigo
Martinez (left) and esteban Granero during their match on sunday, PhoTo: aP
dont get the luck when you need it.

Real, who last dropped points
against champions Atletico Madrid in
mid-September, led with a Cristiano
Ronaldo penalty after 14 minutes before second-half strikes from Antonio

Barragan and Nicolas Otamendi secured Valencia victory. REUTERS
31
sports
today tuesday 6 JanuaRy 2015
Reaching the asian cup is alReady a success foR the debutants
Palestine cherishing
rare chance to shine
ASIAN
CUP 2015
Japan beat Palestine (in red) 4-0 at the asian games last september. the two sides will clash again on monday. PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES
SINGAPORE Since the jubilation of
qualifying for a maiden Asian Cup
campaign, Palestine have lost their
coach, seen friendly matches cancelled, had players blocked from
travel and been involved in a bloody
conlict. But, still, they refuse to be
downhearted.
Few expect Palestines stay in
Australia to last longer than the
group stage, where they will face
holders Japan, former winners Iraq
and fellow West Asians Jordan, but

that does not matter to the side
ranked 113th in the world.
Their greatest victory has been
achieved earning the chance to
show the world they have a team capable of competing against top sides
in Asia despite the issues they face.
This is a historic occasion for us,
forward Ashraf Numan told FIFA.
Our goal is to let the world know
the Palestinian national team are
moving forward despite the diiculties we face.

We want to convey the message
that Palestinian players have the
right to play and develop. Furthermore, we want to bring a smile back
to the faces of our people and make
our fans happy.
The opener against Japan (on
Jan 12) will be a hard match for us
as they are considered one of Asias
best teams. The Japanese players
When:
Jan 9 to 31
Where:
Brisbane,
Canberra,
Melbourne,
Newcastle,
Sydney
Teams:
group a
Australia,
South Korea,
Oman, Kuwait
group B
Uzbekistan,
Saudi Arabia,
China,
North Korea
group c
Iran, UAE,
Qatar, Bahrain
group D
Japan, Jordan,
Iraq, Palestine
Oficial
website: www.
afcasiancup.
com
are better than us.

Numans attitude is a big part of
the reason Palestine are competing
at the Asian Cup for the irst time.
They travelled to the Maldives for
the Challenge Cup last May shorn
of six players because of the restrictions on movement outside Palestine.
With most of the players being
strikers, Numan was pressed further forward from his usual midield
role and lourished in the honeymoon
islands, inishing as top scorer with
four goals.
As the emerging teams battled
sea sickness from the never-ending
boat trips to matches, training and
hotels, Numan proved he had the
stomach for the ight scoring the
only goal in the inal as Palestine beat
the Philippines to book the inal spot
in Australia.
That golden ticket was a brief moment of joy to hold on to in the dark
times that would follow.
Former international Ahed Zaqout, one of Palestines best players,
was killed by an Israeli bomb that hit
his apartment in Gaza last July during the conlict that claimed the lives
of more than 2,100 Palestinians and
more than 70 Israelis.
Coach Jamal Mahmoud quit for
personal reasons late last year,
with his deputy Ahmed Al Hassan
stepping up shortly before the Palestine Football Association offices were stormed by Israeli forces
last November.
A friendly against Iran last week
was cancelled at the last minute for
unspeciied reasons, while Al Hassan works with a committed squad
he knows is not his best because of
availability restrictions.
Undeterred, Palestinians are
cherishing the global window of the
Asian Cup. Its a big thing because,
you know, in Palestine, life is very dificult and all of the sports have many
problems, said Mahmoud.
To send a message around the
world that we can do very (well) if
we have space, if equipment is allowed for us to play (with), (if we are
allowed) to go outside, and we send a
message we want peace. REUTERS
caffeine gives Williams her Break

PERTH World No 1 Serena Williams
credited an on-court cofee for her

recovery after storming back from
the irst set to beat Italys Flavia Pennetta in her opening match of the
year at the Hopman Cup yesterday.
The 33-year-old American looked
all at sea during the opening stages
of the early-morning match in a sweltering Perth, but the cafeine hit did
just the trick as her serve clicked into
gear for a 0-6 6-3 6-0 win.
Im so jet-lagged and Flavia
played really, really well and, yeah,
everyone needs coffee every now
and then. I needed cofee to get my
feet moving, Williams said in an oncourt interview to roars of appreciation from the crowd. I wanted cofee
with my bagel and, whatever cofee
it was, it was really good.
Until her cofee break, Williams

looked out of sorts against Pennetta
with 12 unforced errors and only four
winners, as the Italian clinched the
set in 19 minutes.
However, the cafeine boost saw
the American up her winners to 15.
I told them to give me just a shot
of espresso. I asked them if it was
legal because I never did it before,
Williams, a self-professed coffee
drinker, was quoted as saying in the
Sydney Morning Herald. I needed
some espresso. I needed to wake up
the jet lag gets you all the time.
The 18-time Grand Slam singles
champion is aiming for a sixth Australian Open in Melbourne later this
month and is using the round-robin
mixed-team event as preparation for
the years irst Grand Slam.
Im so jetlagged
and Flavia
played really,
really well
and, yeah,
everyone
needs cofee
every now
and then. I
needed cofee
to get my
feet moving.
Serena Williams
WORLD NO 1 AND
18-TIME GRAND SLAM
SINGLES CHAMPION
Williams asking an oficial for coffee early in her game against Pennetta. PHOTO: REUTERS
The Australian Open runs from

Jan 19 to Feb 1, with Williams aiming for a first singles title in Melbourne since 2010 after early exits
in recent years.
It has been too long, she said.
Hopefully, I will at least get past the
quarters. AGENCIES
32
sports
wInnInG Is tHe bIGGest tHInG For me
NBA WATCH
NBA TITLE
IS WHAT
MATTERS,
SAYS GRIFFIN
While a irst
championship ring
remains elusive,
Clippers star is
happy with new
owner Ballmer
emmanuel phua
emmanuelphua@mediacorp.com.sg
SINGAPORE He may be one of the big-
gest names today in the NBA, but

Blake Griin believes all that means
little if he does not inish his career
with a Championship ring.
Now into his fifth season in the
NBA, the Los Angeles Clippers star,
regarded by many as the best power forward today, was the 2011 NBA
Rookie of the Year, is already a fourtime NBA All-Star and is expected
to receive an invite to the upcoming
All-Star game on Feb 15.
But in a teleconference with media from the Asia-Pacific region
yesterday, Griffin acknowledged
that the most important statistic is
missing from his otherwise impressive track record so far.
Everyones goal is to win a championship and mine is no diferent,
said the 25-year-old, the 2011 NBA
Slam Dunk champion. When I look

back in 10 years, I hope that I can
win multiple championships. When
it comes down to it, winning is the
biggest thing for me.
Griffin will be hoping his wait
for a irst NBA Championship title
will be sooner than later, and avoid
joining the likes of Charles Barkley,
John Stockton and Allen Iverson as
some of the leagues most illustrious
names never to have won a Championship ring.
But under new owner and former
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer who
replaced Donald Sterling, who was
forced to quit last year for making racist remarks good times could be just
around the corner for the Clippers.
Its a diferent atmosphere, and I
think everybody can see that, said
Griin. From top to bottom, its a
different vibe. He kind of gave the
franchise a bit of hope and a little
fresh taste of everything.
The change in leadership has also translated onto the court, with
the Clippers boasting the ifth-best
ofence in the NBA league this season with an average of 106.5 points
scored, with Griin leading the team,
scoring an average of 22.4 points
per game.
With the Warriors beginning the
season with an NBA-best record of
26 wins, ive losses and the Clippers
CAvAlIERS 90 MAvERICkS 109

cleveland cavaliers general manager
david grifin has backed david Blatt,
insisting that their irst-year coach is
staying despite talk over his future
following allegations of internal conlict
within the team, reported espn.com.
last week, sources revealed that
Blatts ability to connect with the
cavaliers was being questioned. The
situation was made worse after the
cavaliers lost 109-90 at home to the
dallas mavericks on sunday (yesterday
morning, singapore time) to go 19-15.
This narrative of our coaching
situation is truly ridiculous, said grifin
on sunday. its a non-story, its a nonnarrative. coach Blatt is our coach, hes
going to remain our coach. do not write
that as a vote of conidence. he never
needed one. it was never a question.
with Kyrie irving, Kevin love and
leBron James struggling with injuries,
and anderson Varejao out for the
season with an achilles problem, the
cavaliers form has stuttered.
grifins comments came as the
cavaliers went down to dallas. monta
ellis scored 20 points for dallas, while
dirk nowitzki added 15. nowitzki has
27,397 career points, only 12 shy of tying
Karl malone for seventh place all time.
love scored a season-high
30 points, but the cavaliers could not
stay with the mavericks (25-10), who
had ive players in double igures.
The mavericks are 10-0 on the road
against eastern conference teams this
season and have won 14 straight overall
against the east.
chandler parsons and Tyson
chandler scored 14 points apiece for
dallas, which shot 56 per cent and
made 12 of 26 3-pointers. rajon rondo,
who scored a season-high 29 points
friday against Boston, was held to
four points and had eight assists in
27 minutes. dallas is 6-2 since acquiring
rondo from the celtics. AGENCIES
Los Angeles
Clippers forward
Blake Grifin
(in white) dunks
as Philadelphia
76ers forward
Nerlens Noel
looks on during
their NBA match
in Los Angeles on
Saturday. phoTo: ap
Everyones
goal is to win
a championship and mine
is no diferent.
Blake Grifin
los angeles
clippers forward
not far behind with 23 wins, 11 losses,

the Western Conference rivals appear set to meet in the playofs.
Griin credits Clippers coach Doc
Rivers for his rise, especially after an
incident on Christmas Day in 2013 in
which he had an on-court altercation
with Golden State Warriors centre
Andrew Bogut.
Besides basketball knowledge
and his experience, he brings a sense
of leadership and it relates to you
because hes been through it all as a
player and coach, said Griin.
But a recent report by NBA.com
that said there was discord within
the Clippers locker room had threatened to derail their quest for the
NBA crown.
While Griffin did not address
the issue, he insisted the Clippers
can overcome their defensive woes
they have the 19th-worst record
out of 30 teams with an average of
100 points let in per game and
extend their three-game winning
streak when they face the Atlanta Hawks at the Staples Centre
on Monday (this morning, Singapore time).
We found our groove and defensively we had each others backs, he
said. We just need to keep a good
tempo and improve our offensive
pace. If we continue to concentrate
and play the right way, well be ine.
Other results
detroit 114 sacramento 95,
miami 88 Brooklyn 84, new York 82
milwaukee 95, phoenix 125
Toronto 109, la lakers 88 indiana 87
stat oF tHe nIGHt
27,397
points
Dirk Nowitzkis career points
total, only 12 short of equalling
seventh-placed Karl Malone.
quote oF tHe nIGHt
Were like
travelling with
the Beatles.
Cleveland
general
manager
David Grifin
summing up Their
inconsisTenT
season so far
TODAYS GAMES
philadelphia v cleveland, Boston v
charlotte, Brooklyn v dallas (starhub TV
ch216, 8.30am), chicago v houston
(starhub TV ch202, 9am), memphis v
new York, minnesota v denver, new
orleans v washington, utah v indiana,
portland v la lakers, golden state v
oklahoma city, la clippers v atlanta
phoTo: reuTers
TUESDAY, 6 JANUARY 2015
THE PURSUIT
OF HAPPINESS
HOT YOUNG ACTOR
ALOYSIUS PANG FINDS
CRYING EASY, BUT
LAUGHING DIFFICULT
34
PHOTO: JASON HO
34
culture&lifestyle
SeaRChING FOR
haPPINeSS
WHY ALOYSIUS PANG FINDS CRYING EASY
BUT SAYS LAUGHING IS HIS KRYPTONITE
May Seah
may@mediacorp.com.sg
ou will start to feel familiar with Aloysius Pang

because he has at least
six television projects airing this year, so even if he
wasnt the young actor to watch out
for which he is hell certainly
be the one youll see on screen the
most often.
But the Duke with the reputation
for being inscrutably unlappable is no
open book although he doesnt set
out to obfuscate.
It seems that no matter how much
I reveal about myself, people ind there
is a deeper, darker, more mysterious
side of me that they will never know.
Apparently, thats the feeling people
get when they talk to me, he said,

looking genuinely puzzled.
Im worried that people think Im
putting on a fake front and hiding
something else.
The truth, really, is only slightly
more prosaic: I am boring. Theres
nothing much for you to dig except
for a very exciting past.
PRODIGAL SON
Someone who is only 24 may have no

business having a past at all, but Pang
started young. From the age of nine to
14, he was a child actor until the pressure of fame led him to a phase of rebellion something he now draws
on to play maladjusted characters in
MediaCorp Channel 8 dramas such
as Im In Charge and It Takes Two,
as well as the coming Tiger Mum
and Channel 5 telemovie, Two Boys
And A Mermaid, in which he plays a

high-school basketballer whose relationship with his only friend is jeopardised when they fall for the same girl.
In school, Pang said, he was also on
the basketball team, but I never went
for a single training session. I thought
I was too good. I got kicked out because of conduct and ethical problems.
He fudged on the details of his badboy past but said: When youre a child
actor, naturally, you get more attention, be it from girls or gangsters. On
Valentines Day, when I got back to my
table after recess, there would be gifts
all over my tabletop, loor and chair.
There was a lipside to that. I had
people coming up to me and saying,
Do you think people like you because
you are good looking or a nice person?
They like you because you are on TV.
It just gets imprinted on your heart,
he said.
35
culture&lifestyle
I wanted to be popular for who I

was instead, which is why I did a lot
of the things I did back then. I wanted
my personality to outshine that character, so I was constantly seeking attention in the wrong way, he added.
I was looking for trouble because
I wanted people to see me as me. At
karaoke sessions, I would open the
door and scream so the entire hallway would look. Thats how hard up I
was for attention just making a fool
of myself.
Looking at Pang now, its impossible to imagine him as anything other than polite, pensive and taciturn.
Its a 180-degree change, he said. I
just didnt want to go back to being
that person. I despise that guy. I hate
him so much. He is one of my greatest disappointments in life. Even if a
little part of him still lives in me, I will
never let him come out. Ill bury him
and kill him of some day.
Pang is a prodigal son not only to
his mother whom he regrets hurting,
but also to acting: When he was 14,
he called MediaCorp and told them
to take my ile out and never call me
again. However, two years ago, he
changed his mind and returned to
the fold.
Whenever Im on set, I look at
the cameramen and soundmen, and
I feel very happy. Im pretty distant with the artistes Im closer
to the crew because Ive seen them
since I was young. It feels like Im
back home.
CREDITS
Photography: Jason ho
hair: Joanne er,
Monsoon Novena,
using hatsuga products
Makeup: Joanna ang,
Sono Bello (96953772)
using Make Up For ever
STOCKISTS
(On the cover)
Black sweater, S$79.90
from h&M; teal checked
trousers, S$89.90
from Topman
ash sweater,
S$83.90; grey trousers,
S$89.90 from Topman
Special thanks to The
Company Of Cats for
the use of its premises.
HEART WORK
They say if you love something, set it

free; if it comes back to you, its yours.
Pangs rekindled love afair with acting is now so torrid that even though he
called this the busiest time of my life,
he acknowledged its a good time to be
a workaholic.
For the record, he has roles in the
Channel 8 dramas You Can Be An
Angel Too (currently airing), Good
Luck (slated to start on Feb 2), Tiger
Mum (April 2) and Super Senior (June
11), as well as the Channel U series
Love? (which starts on Feb 24). There
is also a cosplay-themed movie in
the works.
Catch Aloysius
Pang in Two Boys
And A Mermaid
on Friday at 10pm
on MediaCorp
TV Channel 5.
You Can Be An
Angel Too airs on
weekdays at 9pm
on MediaCorp
TV Channel 8.
Pang is also the sort of person

who physically cannot be idle. I try
to make my days of as busy as possible, he said, adding that he takes
piano, guitar, boxing and sign-language lessons. The longest I can sit
and do nothing is 10 minutes. I just
feel theres so much I can do with
my time its a waste if I spend it
in bed.
The actor said he wants to find
time to direct and act in three short
ilms he has written: One has an anti-bullying message, another is about
dementia and the third is about deafness. I like the idea of having the images in your head become reality, he
said. Im a pretty greedy person. I
want to write songs, direct, have my

own business, publish a book of poetry, write my own drama script and a
movie. There are a lot of things I want
to accomplish.
Acting ranks first, though. Its
a 100 per cent conirmation that for
the rest of my life, Ill be doing something diferent. That excites me. Its
the unknown.
But while he aces emotional scenes
and can cry heartbreakingly for the
camera, Pang said the hardest emotion to bring out is happiness. Crying
is easy, but laughing is my kryptonite. I just dont know how to laugh, he
said. Im not good in happy roles. Rebellious roles are ine because I have a
past that I can (draw on). But happy,
enthusiastic, jumpy? I really need to
ind happiness.
Im happy only on set. When Im
not working, theres nothing for me to
look forward to in my personal life,
Pang continued. Maybe, Im at the
stage where I feel its time for me to
look for a partner. But this industry
doesnt encourage relationships. I
want it, but I dont think I should have
it. Its like brain versus heart.
For the moment though, the tradeof is worth it. Im not a person who
is looking for fame or luxury, he said.
Its the process when youre on
set, you just feel you want to do good
in this.
The only mystery left then is
just how far his hard work will
take him.
GET
REWARDED
Good Times, Great Company.
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receive Star Points!
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MediaCorp Artiste
managed by NoonTalk
Media, Xu Bin
36
culture&lifestyle
MediaCorp launches
Malay, Tamil news portals
SINGAPORE Malay and Tamil news
consumers now have two new

Web portals at their fingertips.
MediaCorp Berita (http://berita.
mediacorp.sg) and MediaCorp Seithi
(http://seithi.mediacorp.sg), which
went live yesterday, aim to cater for
their respective Malay and Tamilspeaking news consumers to follow all major developments within and without Singapore. Both
sites will cover breaking news,
financial, sports and entertainment news. Each website will up-
load current affairs programmes

that have been aired on Suria and
Vasantham, and users can access
any of the MediaCorp radio stations. Free apps for Android and
iOS devices will be introduced
in March.
FUNNY MOVIE
Ab Fab movie
inally inished
Comedian Jennifer Saunders wants the
film to be made by the end of the year
It took her 20 years, but
British comedian Jennifer Saunders
has finally finished writing the new
Absolutely Fabulous ilm and is hoping
it will be made by the end of the year.
It will be called Edina and Patsy after
the sitcoms main characters played
by Saunders, 56, and Joanna Lumley,
68, respectively.
The comedian played public relations agent Edina Monsoon in the
BBC comedy series, which ran for
six seasons starting in 1992. Both
Julia Sawalha, 46, who played Saunders on-screen daughter Safy, and
88-year-old June Whitfield, who
played her mother, are set to reprise
their roles.
She told the Daily Mirror: Ive
inished the irst draft. Im feeling euphoric. My proper new years resolution is to do the ilm, otherwise itll be
a pointless year of procrastination.
Absolutely Fabulous was brought
back for three episodes in 2012 to mark
its 20th anniversary. Rather less successful was Viva Forever!, a musical
Saunders wrote based on the songs of
the Spice Girls that closed within six
months after scathing reviews.
Saunders previously suggested
she wanted to cast everyone who
had ever appeared in the Ab Fab series to also be in the ilm. If Saunders
stands by her words, then celebrities who should expect a call include
Kate Moss, Richard E Grant, Lulu,
Emma Bunton, Minnie Driver and
Marianne Faithfull.
But she has also admitted being
really nervous about the prospect of
resurrecting the show. Its like the
second album syndrome, she said.
Once youve had a bit of success, the
last thing you want to do is go and
make a flop. So the biggest fear in
me is that it wont be good enough.
LONDON
THE DAILY TELEGRAPH
My proper
new years
resolution is
to do the ilm,
otherwise
itll be a
pointless
year of
procrastination.
Jennifer Saunders
BRITISH COMEDIAN
Absolutely Fabulous duo Lumley (left) and Saunders are set for the
big screen. PHOTO: BBC
37
Malala Yousafzai has to be the

most inspiring woman I know.
At 12, she started blogging about
her life under Taliban rule.
At 15, she survived an assassination
attempt. And at 17, she received
the Nobel Peace Prize. All this, for a
basic right that of an education.
Glenda Chong
Presenter & Executive Editor

Channel NewsAsia
Do You Know
an Extraordinary Woman?
If you know of a woman who has given herself to
making a diference to those around her, nominate her
even yourself for the Singapore Woman Award 2015.
Log on to mediacorp.sg/swa to make your
nominations by 31st January 2015.
38
listings
BODY AND SOUL

WITH DANIEL MARTIN
Tune in for your daily health
check, featuring discussions
with doctors and leading
health professionals.
6.00aM fresh With

Bharati Jagdish
and andre ahchak
9.00
Body and soul
With daniel Martin
11.00
lunch Box
With Howie lim
2.00PM afternoon tea
With eugene loh
5.00
the X and M show
With William Xavier
and Michelle Martin
9.00
nightcap With angela lim
938LIVE, 9am
MediaCorps latest online TV service ofers entertainment,

lifestyle, information and news across multiple devices.
Log on to www.toggle.sg or download the Toggle App now.
E: english
C: chinese
M: Malay
t: tamil
LAtESt CAtCH-UP tV
FREE
Watch episodes on Toggle after they are shown on TV.
THE HIT LIST WITH

KIMBERLY WANG
Kimberly will keep you from
nodding off this afternoon with
commercial-free hits and the
coolest indie tunes.
6.00aM the Wake up call

With sonia chew
and Joakim Gomez
10.00
9 in a row
noon the Hit list With
Kimberly Wang
4.00PM Muttons on the Move
With Justin ang
and vernon a
8.00
itchy Pyjamas
With Gerald Koh
987FM, noon
LUNCH BREAK WITH

YASMINNE CHENG
Choose your songs to get
you through the workday.
Email your choices to
95songs@class95.sg
Class 95FM, 10am
6.00aM the Morning express

With Joe augustin
and Mike Kasem
10.00
lunch Break With
Yasminne cheng
2.00PM Your Best 5 With
Jeremy ratnam
5.00
cartunes With
Jean danker
and Mike Kasem
8.00
class 95s nights
With Bobby tonelli
YOU CAN BE AN ANGEL TOO (PG-SOME VIOLENCE)

Fu Jiazi attends a gathering with his pal, Ken, and is attracted to a girl named Liu Youle. She gets
a lift from them and asks to be dropped off near the woods, as she wants to take a walk. Soon
after, Jiazi and Ken are involved in a trafic accident. Ken dies. Youle is attacked while on her
walk and is seriously injured. She is saved by Wang Ruojun. E
118 (PG)
With Xiao Hui, Shun Feng struggles to ind a topic of
conversation. However, with Mei Zhen, conversation lows easily.
Mei Zhen seems to be fond of Shun Feng and jokes about being
his girlfriend. E,C
CODE OF LAW III (PG)

This season delves deeper into the personal lives of the
main characters: Jacob Fernandez, Inspector Han and Staff
Sergeant Razali.
6.00aM the Gold Breakfast show
With vernetta lopez
10.00
the lunchtime Jukebox
With denise tan
2.00PM Gold afternoons
With lynette tan
5.00
Homestretch
With tim oh
8.00
nite flite
MATA MATA II (PG-VIOLENCE)

Inspired by true events, the series historical references will
enlighten younger Singaporeans and resonate with pioneers
who lived through that exciting era.
HOMESTRETCH WITH TIM OH

Its the best ride home in the evenings corny, quirky and
guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
THE 5 SEARCH
A reality TV competition searching for the next big thing in
Singapores entertainment industry. Contestants have to act
and host their way to the top by outperforming their fellow
competitors each week.
Gold 90.5FM, 5pm
SERIES oN DEMAND ...

Watch your favourite series/movies on Toggle anytime, anywhere.
FREE
How to
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Fill in
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and every 3x3
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COPYRIGHT UCLICK
RENOVAID V
DJ Rosalyn Lee sweeps in
with her affable personality
and sense of humour, as
she lends a helping hand
to families in need of a
home makeover.
LETS TALK V
Many people get famous
through a contest, a show or
a video, with some becoming
sensations overnight. This
phenomenon has caused
many to try and follow suit.
KASIH BERBISIK (PG)

A tale of unforgiving
love, one full of mystery,
jealousy and the conspiracy
of friendship that turns
sour and eventually leads
to murder.
39
listings
chaNNel
chaNNel
chaNNel
tellchannel5@mediacorp.com.sg
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tellchannelu@mediacorp.com.sg
programming@channelnewsasia.com
tellvasantham@mediacorp.com.sg
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10.30am, 1pm, 1.30pm, 3.30pm,
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Super Why
Save Ums
Guess How Much
I Love You
Bo On The Go
Kioka
Hi-5 House
Season XIV
The Dr Oz
Show IV (HD)
JML TV
Home Shopping
The Ellen DeGeneres
Show XII (HD)
Toque 12 (HD)
Wheel Of Fortune
Season XXXI (HD)
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Stories Of Love:
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Show IV (HD)
Stars In Style
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Show XII (HD)
Troy (HD) (PG)
Wheel Of Fortune
Season XXXI (HD)
C
The Flash (HD)
(PG-Action Violence)
The 5 Show (HD) (Live)
e
News 5 (HD)
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C,M
Verdict (HD) (PG)
(Season Premiere)
Forever (HD)
(PG-Graphic Visuals)
Hannibal (HD)
(PG13-Violence)
Its Always Sunny In
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(PG) (Season Finale)
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(PG13-Mature Themes)
The 5 Show (HD)
Wheel Of Fortune
Season XXXI (HD)
So You Think You
Can Dance IX
Just For Laughs:
BBC UK Gags IV
The Dr Oz
Show IV (HD)
7.00
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8.00
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10.30
12.30PM
1.00
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2.30
3.30
4.30
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6.30
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8.00
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10.30
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MN
1.00AM
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C
Delicious Food All
Over China Series 11
Chinese Folklore
118 (HD) (PG)
You Can Be An
Angel Too (HD) (PG)
Morning Express
(HD) (LIVE)
Hello Singapore
Highlights (HD)
Ladies Nite (HD)
Pay It Forward
C
Accidental Chef (HD)
(Last Episode)
News 8 At One (HD)
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We Are From
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Empresses In
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e,C
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(HD) (Live)
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What Your School
C
Doesnt Teach You (HD)
e,C
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News Tonight (HD)
C
e
Tuesday Report:
The Towkays 2 (HD)
e,C
The Demi-Gods
And Semi-Devils
(HD) (PG)
Journey To The West
Home Decor
Survivor 5 (HD)
Awakening II
Life (PG)
C
6.00
7.00
8.00
9.30
10.00
11.00
11.30
1.00AM
1.30
2.30
e: English
c: Chinese
m: Malay
t: Tamil
tellokto@mediacorp.com.sg
9.00AM
9.30
10.00
10.30
11.00
11.30
NOON
12.30PM
1.00
1.30
2.00
2.30
3.00
4.00
5.00
5.30
tHe 5 SHOW (HD) (LIVe)

the award-winning musical
Cats is in town. Hosts
Yasminne and enlai tell you
how you can win ive pairs
of top-tier tickets to watch
the musical.
WHat YOUR SCHOOL

DOeSNt teaCH YOU
(HD)
Join hosts Quan Yi Fong, Guo
Liang and artistes tay Ping
Hui, Felicia Chin, Jayley Woo,
Shane Pow, Priscelia Chan and
Jeremy Chan for a laughterilled session.
channel 5, 8.30pm
channel 8, 8pm
6.00
6.30
7.00
7.30
8.00
8.30
9.00
10.00
10.30
11.00
MN
ON SiNgtel miO tv
eXtaNt
astronaut Molly Woods tries to reconnect
with her family after returning from a
13-month solo mission in outer space.
But her mystifying experiences in space will
lead to events that will change the course of
human history.
rtl cbS entertainment hD
(mio tv ch 318), 9.55pm
Home Shopping
Diamond Club
C
e,C
Flower Boys
Next Door
Happy Noodle
C
e,C
Feast Of God (PG)
Noonas Over Flowers
My Grandfathers Road
e,C
The Mysteries Of
Love (PG-Some Violence)
News Tonight
C
Noonas Over Flowers
My Grandfathers Road
West Side Story
End Of Transmission
Humf (Preschool)
Pocoyo (Preschool)
Cloud Bread (Preschool)
Little Einsteins (Preschool)
Mister Maker (Preschool)
Boj (Preschool)
Jake & The Never Land
Pirates (Preschool)
Super Wings (Preschool)
Cloud Bread (Preschool)
Little Einsteins (Preschool)
Mister Maker (Preschool)
Boj (Preschool)
My Classmate Dad
Word Champs
Pippi Longstocking
Robin Hood:
Mischief In Sherwood
Bot Hunters
GON
Kung Fu Panda
Egyxos
The Thundermans
The Prime Radicals
Worlds Weirdest
Restaurants
Knockout Carnival
Arts: Lost & Found
Time Team XIX
Close
HeaDLINeS/SPORe UPDateS
9.30am, 11.30am, 2.30pm, 4.30pm
Programmes may be pre-empted
due to breaking news
6.00AM
9.00
9.33
10.00
10.32
11.00
11.33
NOON
1.02PM
2.00
2.33
3.00
3.32
4.00
4.33
5.00
5.32
6.02
6.30
7.00
8.01
8.31
9.00
9.30
10.00
11.01
11.31
MN
12.31AM
1.01
1.30
2.00
2.31
3.00
3.31
4.00
5.00
5.30
8.00
8.30
9.00
10.00
First Look Asia

News Now
Amazing Asia
News Now
Between The Lines
News Now
Fortunes From Fun
Asia Connect
Rafles Revealed
News Now
First Look Encore
News Now
Between The Lines
News Now
Spirits Of Asia
News Now
Amazing Asia
Get Rea!
Tycoons Indonesia
Primetime Asia
Future Forward
The Successors 3
Primetime World
SportsWorld
Singapore Tonight
Between The Lines
Chasing Sleep
News Pulse
SportsWorld
Future Forward
The Successors 3
News Pulse
Between The Lines
News Pulse
SportsWorld
Singapore Tonight
Get Rea!
Tycoons Indonesia
10.30
11.00
11.30
MN
Healthy Lifestyle
Anjaraipetti
Super Samayal
Kalyaani
Dhil Dare Devils
Thulasi
Yaar Antha Star II
Brundavanam (Telugu)
Luckka Kickka II
Kutra Kannkaanippu
2014 (PG)
Maalai Maathuram
Tamil Seithi
Saj & Kumar III (HD)
Annamalai
(HD) (PG)
Vettai 3 (HD)
Vanjam
Tamil Seithi
Close
e
e
e
tellsuria@mediacorp.com.sg
2.30PM
3.30
4.00
5.00
6.00
6.30
7.00
8.00
8.30
9.30
10.30
11.00
MN
12.30AM
JML TV Home Shopping

Juxbox Ekspres
Maskara
e
Firasat (HD)
Putih & Hitam
Sedap 3
Mencintaimu (HD)
M
Berita (Live) (HD)
Kelas Kekek (HD)
Kosmopolitan
(HD) (Debut)
Lanting Suku Suku
Dia Suamiku
M
Berita (HD)
Close
Get Rea!
every day in Malaysia,
12 underage girls get
pregnant. the number
according to doctors and
social workers has been
rising since a decade ago.
KOSMOPOLItaN
(HD) (DeBUt)
Kosmpolitan is a drama series
about a group of friends.
Having met at a gym, they
have been coniding in and
sharing their problems with
one another. What they have
in common is the search for
happiness. However, secrets,
lies and deceit entangle them
and take them further from
the happiness they seek.
channel Newsasia, 6.02pm
Suria, 9.30pm
ON Starhub cable tv
!NSeRt (ONLY ON MIO tV)

!nsert is the audiences choice for the latest
entertainment news and celebrity gossip
with breaking news and in-depth coverage.
aFteR eaRtH
Far in the future, a young boy and his
estranged father navigate an abandoned
planet on which their spaceship crashed.
taMaKO MaRKet
Kanna makes a birdhouse for Dera.
However, the bird continues to gain weight
and is unable to it into the nest box.
!nsert (mio tv ch 614),

11.20am and 4.50pm
hbO Family (Starhub tv ch 604), 6.30pm
animax (Starhub tv ch 532), 10.30pm
40
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cHaNgi airpOrT MUST BECOME a dESTiNaTiON iN

iTSElf, NOT A MERE TRANSPORT EXCHANGE cOmmENT&aNalySiS 12

Asian BIP 2015

WE SET yOu THiNkiNg

TuESday, 6 JaNuary 2015

MCI (P) 046/06/2014

JudiciaryS guidiNg priNciplE iS TO SErVE THE pEOplE

Centralised college to give

KUALA LUMPUR China developer Coun-

try Gardens Holdings can develop less

Academy will be at Supreme

A new college covering

today tuesday 6 January 2015

JAKARTA An Indonesian naval patrol

vessel has found what could be the tail

some officials on duty at time of crash to be moved to other roles

Navy finds what may

the head of Indonesias search and rescue agency, Mr Fransiskus Bambang

tor and air traic control agency who

Pilots angry with Indonesian minister for tick-off

Indonesian news portal detik.com

airlines around the world do selfbrieings. They get printed weather

ing director-general of air transport,

Mr Ignasius, said BMKG had allowed

today tuesday 6 January 2015

today tuesday 6 January 2015

The Forest City development in the

fected Malaysias nearby key trans

today tuesday 6 January 2015

today tuesday 6 January 2015

weak performance due mainly to sharp decline in new orders

Singapore factory activity contracts to 2-year low

fourth quarter of 2014 may well drag

ticipation that raw-material costs will

Singapore Armed Forces Lieutenant-Colonel Fan Mun Poh, mission commander of

Najib down with E-coli infection

afected by Malaysias worst loods in

spread criticism on social media over

today tuesday 6 January 2015

today tuesday 6 January 2015

they will work on part-time basis, help train new Judges

Ex-Chief Justice Chan among

more than two

four lawyers were

basis in the Court of Appeal and the

11 SWORN IN AS COMMERCIAL COURTS FIRST INTERNATIONAL JUDGES

will be from the current Bench,

by developing an entire suite of

with the training and mentoring of

see the development of a new college

Centralised college to give

it will cover induction as well as continuing the training and development

the works. These include enhancing

today tuesday 6 January 2015

Move will help criminal

today tuesday 6 January 2015

If scheme reaches target, It wIll mean 15-fold Jump In current workload

Legal aid scheme must be properly

marginalised, the underprivileged in

ior Minister of State (Law and Home

plaints has not increased despite the

today tuesday 6 January 2015

today tueSday 6 January 2015

The year 2015 will